The Grayscale Journeys
by Flaresi
Summary: Sometimes things aren't always as simple as they appear. Sometimes one has to dive into the gray area to find out the truth. This is where a new adventure begins... if I wrote the story for Pokémon Gray, this is what it would be like.
1. Chapter 1: Only In Your Dreams

**A/N: So while I've been writing stories for a while, this is the first one I've posted here. It'll be interesting to see where this goes, so let me know your thoughts on it with a review or two. **

**Pokémon doesn't belong to me. This particular idea does, though.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Only In Your Dreams<strong>

It all starts with a dream.

In my dream, I've just defeated Champion Alder with my prized starter, Emboar. He recalls his last defeated Pokémon and says to me,

"Very well done, Black! You have surely proven the strength of both yourself and your Pokémon!" I can see it very clearly: Emboar's panting heavily from having battled so hard, but his grin tells me that he's just as ecstatic to be victorious as I am. I return his grin and say to him,

"You were awesome, Emboar. Thanks for pulling through for me all this time! Now have some down time – you deserve it." I return him to his Poké Ball and follow Alder up a huge staircase to a set of golden double doors at least ten feet high. From his necklace he retrieves a tiny key, golden and sparkling just like the doors to the Hall of Fame.

"It's been a long time since I've been in here. Even so, I still have this feeling of awe. Come with me, Black. Come with me and inscribe the names of you and your Pokémon into everlasting history!" He swings open the golden doors, huge as they are, and walks into a long, torch-lit hallway. I begin to follow him, but as soon as I pass through the doors, they shut. On instinct, I turn around and see that they really _did_ just abruptly close behind us. Were they supposed to do that?

"Black…" A voice calls out to me, but it doesn't sound like Alder's. Heck, it doesn't even sound like a man's. I start running down the hallway, which doesn't seem to end despite me running for what feels like an hour.

"Black, come on…" The voice says again. It sounds familiar – who the heck _is that?_ It sounds like a teenage girl's voice. I sigh and reach for Emboar's Poké Ball, but it isn't there. Heck, _none_ of my team is there! What's going on?

"Black, seriously! Come on! Wake up!" The room starts shaking, and then I'm suddenly thrust back into the real world. First thing I see? The peering blue eyes of my sister, White. I groan and then roll over on my bed, turning the pillow over my head. Why is she all dressed up like she's ready to go traveling somewhere?

"Go away, White. I was just having a great dream that _you_ spoiled." She groans and then pries the pillow off of me, throwing it to some corner of the bedroom. She pulls off the covers and then shouts,

"Did you _forget_ today was our birthday, or what? Our sixteenth birthday? You know, the day we get to become licensed Pokémon trainers? Cheren and Bianca are going to be here any minute with our starter Pokémon, and here you are just snoozing away!" Oh, Foongus. She's right. Today's March 30th, otherwise known as the day Hilbert and Hilda Grayson were born into this world. According to our mom, White came out first, so she's technically the older one. It's a fact that she's been lording over me ever since she found out about it.

"Not anymore. Guess that's why you're all dressed up and ready to go. Alright. Lemme hop in the shower and change. Don't open the box until I get back!" I promptly get out of bed, yawn, and walked over to the closet to pull the clothes I was going to wear for my Pokémon journey. It was a rite of passage, a coming-of-age deal that just about everybody went through: you got your first Pokémon and you traveled around the world, battling countless others and maturing into a respectable adult.

I'd heard that the various regions of the world once let kids go on their journeys as early as ten years old. I was only seven when the International Pokémon League decided to bump up the official license age all the way to sixteen. That put a damper on my week, for sure. I remember that the official statement behind the decision was that too many youngsters were getting in trouble, that Pokémon trainers ought to have a higher degree of maturity before venturing out into the world all on their own. Like I cared about their reasons, though. I was seven and ticked off like an Oshawott that had its scalchop stolen. That meant I had to wait an extra _six years_ in order to be able to challenge Gyms and participate in official Pokémon League competitions.

But hey, it's all behind me now. The Pokémon League would now have to contend with my skills, and there wasn't anything they were going to be able to do about it.

I emerge from the bathroom in my traveling outfit, complete with a cap I ordered straight from the Pokémon League. White also has one. People always wonder how she's able to get all of her hair through the little opening in the back of a cap and still make it look good. Apparently, it was something our mom used to do back when _she_ was a Pokémon trainer, so she taught White how to do it early on. It's like a trademark of our family, or something.

"Black, are you ready yet? Cheren and Bianca are already here!" White's voice carries all the way up to the second floor. I go down the stairs and see my four favorite people in the world, standing in front of a cake and a metal suitcase.

"Happy Birthday, Black!" Bianca immediately comes to me and gives me a big hug. Her off-the-wall fashion sense is still alive, I see. Most girls would go for a more functional setup, like White's. Yet here's B, wearing orange tights and a flowery-looking orange vest, complete with a long white skirt and a big ol' green beret. She's always liked berets, but man, that has got to be the _biggest one yet._

"I've been waiting for this day ever since we were kids," Cheren said. Although his outfit isn't nearly as… unique, as Bianca's, it kinda looks like he's dressed more for school than for journeying all over Unova. But hey, it's their party, not mine. Oh, wait. Today it _is_ my party. Uh, just forget it.

My mom takes a lighter from the counter and lights the sixteen candles on the cake, which has the words "Happy Birthday Black & White" written on it in red frosting, along with a few Poké Balls on the corners. We got those nicknames because those have always been our favorite colors. Not to mention, our real names aren't exactly that flattering. What can you expect from parents whose names are Helga and Heinrich? At least our mom respects our nicknames.

"Ooh, it looks so _good!_ Let's sing the song and eat it already!" Bianca chirps. Cheren chuckles, and goes to turn off the lights in the kitchen so that the candles are the only things lighting the room. I look at White and ask her,

"What are you wishing for?" She sticks her tongue out at me and responds,

"I'm not telling you. You know it doesn't come true if you tell somebody!"

"Alright, here we go! One, two, three…" My mom starts off the song and Cheren and Bianca join in. They're actually not that bad at singing, believe it or not. After they're done, White and I blow out all the candles on the cake at the same time, and then Bianca says,

"Sweet! We can eat the cake and then open your presents!" Cheren turns the lights back on and helps my mom take the candles out of the cake. He turns to B and says,

"Bianca, you didn't even _bother_ with the cake at your birthday. You went straight for the presents, remember?" I remember that. The moment she blew out those candles, she bolted from her seat and started ripping open the first present within her reach. I swear, her dad literally facepalmed himself when that happened. It was funny as two Emolga accidentally getting their tails tied together. I'm glad she decided to wait until our birthday to get her starter Pokémon, otherwise her house would've been in even more of a mess than it already had been.

"Hey! I learned my lesson! Besides, it's _their _party, not mine. I know how to behave myself." My mom laughed as she cut the first piece of cake and gave it to White. This is a pretty good deal. Celebrating my birthday with all the people I know and love. The best part hasn't even come yet: my first meeting with my first Pokémon. I already know which one I want. It's going to be utterly awesome. And the wish that I made on the candles? Well, if I said it, it wouldn't come true, right? Guess I'll just have to wait and see if it really happens.


	2. Chapter 2: Introductions Are In Order

**Chapter 2: Introductions Are In Order**

We finish half the cake before Bianca leaps out of her chair, grabs the metal suitcase with our starters, and shoves it in my arms.

"Bianca! What gives? We're not even done yet." I place the suitcase on the coffee table and cut myself another piece of the cake. She jitters with excitement, holding her beret steady on her head so it wouldn't fall off.

"I know, I know! But I've been waiting so _long_ to get my first Pokémon! Can't we just eat the rest of the cake later! Pleeeeeease?" I could definitely sympathize with that, having to wait a really long time. White swallows a bite of cake and shrugs, going to the suitcase.

"I'm done, Black. Bianca's right. We've been waiting our whole _lives_ for this moment. I don't want to wait any longer. Mom, do you have the video camera ready?" Our mom takes the camcorder out from the cabinet underneath the TV and turns it on. Cheren and I walk over to the table, where a letter from Professor Juniper lies in the middle of the padding used to secure the Poké Balls. I unfold the letter and quickly read it.

_Happy 16__th__ Birthday, Black and White!_

_Once you all meet your starter Pokémon, come to the lab and I'll give you your Pokédexes._

_Hope to see you soon!_

_~ Prof. Aurea Juniper ~_

"Ready to go! Now, who goes first?" Cheren sits down on the couch and puts his hands behind his head in a relaxed pose.

"I think it's obvious. Since it's Black and White's birthday, they should go first. Since White _is_ older than Black, even if just by an hour or so, she should go first." Way to side with _her,_ Cheren. White nods in approval and takes the Poké Ball with a little flame on it out of the case. Not only did the ball have a flame on it to signify what was in there, but it also had a little female gender marker next to it. Going over to an open space within the living room, she holds the ball out in a pose and says to the camera,

"Okay! Let's do this! Tepig, I choose you!" She tosses the ball forward and white light comes from it, materializing into the small Fire-type known as Tepig. She looks up at White and happily oinks. She picks it up off of the ground and shows her to mom, who gets closer to them. She waves at her, and Tepig waves back at her and oinks again.

"It's so _cute!_ Let me hold her, White!" Bianca says, quickly coming up to White and Tepig. Tepig looks at the blonde sixteen-year-old with curiosity, and White smiles as she hands Tepig over to Bianca. She tickles the pig's tummy, which makes her laugh and shoot out a puff of smoke into Bianca's face. She blinks and then starts laughing herself, handing Tepig back to White.

"She's so funny! Wait, did she get smoke on my beret?" Bianca moves into the kitchen to check. I take the other Poké Ball with the fire symbol and take a deep breath. This Tepig would be my first Pokémon, my first partner in my journey all across Unova. I had been waiting my whole life for this moment. And now here it is, right in front of me.

"Aw, man! Now I have to wash it! Oh, well. It's a good thing I bought more than one!" She washes her face and then goes to her purse and pulls out another big ol' green beret, placing the dirty one in the purse and putting the clean one on her head. Girls. Always gotta have more than one of a piece of clothing.

"Now, it's my turn." I take Tepig's Poké Ball and walk in front of the camera. Unlike my sister, I don't strike a pose before tossing the ball and letting Tepig out. He comes out facing mom, not me, so I call to him.

"Tepig! Over here! I'm your trainer!" He turns around and gives me a blank look, as if he doesn't know what to think of me. I bend my knees so I'm closer to him and say,

"The name's Black. Nice to meet you, Tepig." I rub the top of his head. He closes his eyes and murmurs something. He's not like White's Tepig, all outgoing and friendly. He seems to be more reserved.

"Oh, Bianca, before you ask, no. You can't hold my Tepig. I'm not sure he'd like it. Plus, do you want to get smoke in your beret again?"

"It's alright, Black. No, I don't want any more smoke in my clothes. Now, it's _my turn!_ Finally!" She pulls out the Poké Ball with the leaf on it and releases a Snivy, which she immediately gushes over and scoops up in her arms. Her Snivy's male, according to the symbol on its Poké Ball, and I can definitely see it. The poor little Grass-type doesn't seem to like her holding him that way, as he's looking at us like he's trying to say, 'Who _is_ this chick? She's kidding around, right?'

"Snivy!" He bites her nose and she squeals in pain, dropping him on the floor. He lands easily and then dusts himself off, looking at Bianca and reprimanding her for trying to hold him like he was a toy. She frowns and then leans down to meet him.

"What was that for, Snivy? You don't like being held?" Snivy crosses his arms and turns away from Bianca.

"Snivy, Sniv." Looks like that's a yes. Bianca pouts, disappointed that she couldn't hold Snivy in her arms like she did with White's Tepig. This'll be interesting.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Snivy. I guess you don't want me to give you a nickname too, huh?" Snivy turns his head and looks back at Bianca, but doesn't say anything. Her shoulders droop as she says to him,

"Okay. I guess I can just call you Snivy. I mean, it's not like it was that big of a deal, anyways." That's what she's saying, but I know she really wanted to nickname her starter. Cheren takes the last Poké Ball from the case, the one with a raindrop on it. As Snivy hops on the couch to look around the house and Bianca sits down next to him, Cheren pushes his glasses up and releases his starter Pokémon, a male Oshawott. The Water-type looks up at Cheren.

"Welcome to Nuvema Town, Oshawott. My name's Cheren, and I'll be your trainer." He bends down to meet Oshawott and extends his hand. To my surprise, Oshawott knows what it means and shakes Cheren's hand, before turning around to the camera and making a pose with his scalchop. My mom then waves with her free hand and says,

"Okay, everyone! Let's all get together so I can shoot you all at once!" All of us gather together on the large, open space with our Pokémon. Cheren's on the left with Oshawott making another pose for the camera, Bianca's on the right with Snivy giving a nonchalant look off to his left, and White and I are in the middle, holding our Tepig. Mom presses a button on the camera which causes it to take three flash photos one after the other. When it's done, Bianca walks towards the door and opens it. She turns back around to face us.

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you don't want to have a Pokémon battle! I know Mrs. Grayson won't let us have one in the house, so let's go outside!" I look down at my Tepig and ask him,

"Does that sound good to you? Want to have your first battle?" He quietly nods. White's Tepig seems all too ready to get going, as she's wiggling around in White's arms. Oshawott starts walking towards the door, while Snivy shrugs and follows him. White lets her Tepig go and we all go outside, our mom waiting by the door with the video camera.

"Mom! Could you record our battle?" White shouts.

"Of course!"

"Okay, since there's four of us… why not have our first Pokémon battle be a double one with all of us participating at the same time? It would be Black and White versus Bianca and myself." Cheren suggests.

"Sounds good to me! Black, are you up for that?" White says.

"I'm up for it. B, is that cool with you?" Her Snivy takes a look at us and gives us a smug look, as if it knows it can beat our Tepig.

"Of course! Snivy's totally going to take you guys down! Right, Snivy?" Snivy nods in agreement. Hey, at least he's not _totally_ unfriendly to Bianca.

"Okay. Is everyone ready?" Cheren asks.

"Yeah, let's go!"

"Ready whenever you are, man."

"Absolutely!" Cheren then slides his glasses up and then points at White's Tepig, shouting,

"Okay! Oshawott, use Tackle on Tepig!"

"Snivy! Let's do the same and use Tackle, too!" The two charge at our Tepig.

"Dodge it, Tepig!" White and I say at the same time. The Tepig both dodge the tackles and Oshawott trips over himself, having put too much momentum into his attack. Snivy, however, simply slides to a stop and faces my Tepig.

"Now, Tepig! While Oshawott's down, use Tackle!"

"Charge at Snivy, Tepig! Bring him down!" White's Tepig charges at Oshawott, and slams into him before he's able to right himself. As my Tepig runs towards Snivy, Bianca shouts,

"Snivy! Get out of the way and then use Leer!" That Snivy's pretty darn fast, as it easily evades my Tepig, who has to take a second to slow down. Snivy's eyes glow red, which freaks out my Tepig and keeps it pinned to one spot.

"Great! Now use Tackle!"

"Oshawott, let's keep it going! Use Tackle again, but be more careful!" Leer drops Tepig's defenses, so if Snivy manages to get a hit off on Tepig, it might not turn out so well…

"C'mon, Tepig! Shake it off! You use Tackle right back!" Snivy may be fast, but Tepig's heavier. Let's see if that little Grass-type can take it.

"Dodge Oshawott's attack and use Tail Whip!" White commands. Her Tepig manages to dodge Oshawott yet again, who's gotten better control of his Tackle and still stands. However, Tepig's curly tail bashes Oshawott in the face, dazing it and giving White an opening for another hit. Snivy and my Tepig meet head-on, bouncing off of each other and doing some decent damage. Both of them are panting pretty heavily now, and Oshawott doesn't look so good either.

"Bianca! We need to work together if we want to win! Let's both target Black's Tepig since he's weaker!" Cheren calls out. Bianca nods and then shouts,

"Okay, Snivy! You and Oshawott use Tackle on Black's Tepig! Go, go, go!"

"You heard her, Oshawott! Let's go! Tackle!" Oshawott seems more than happy to change targets, and both of them start speeding towards my Tepig. Oshawott's the slower one, so he'll be easier to dodge.

"Tepig, dodge to your left!"

"Tepig, Tackle Oshawott one more time!" Although White's Tepig is still fresh and full of energy, my Tepig can't muster up enough speed to get out of the way in time, and takes the hit from Oshawott and Snivy. He flies backward and lands a few feet away, dazed and out of commission. Since both of our opponents were so focused on attacking my Pokémon, White's Tepig is easily able to make its hit connect with Oshawott. Not only does she hit Oshawott, but Snivy as well, since they were so close together. They both fly about two feet towards the house and land on top of each other. It looks like both of them are down for the count!

"Oshawott and Snivy are unable to battle! That means Black and I win!" White declares. Cheren and Bianca go over and tend to their fainted Pokémon, while I go for my Tepig.

"Really, White, did you have to say that? It sounded really corny." I tell her. She crosses her arms and looks at her Tepig, who hops up and down in a victory dance.

"I've always wanted to say that! Besides, Burnetta thinks it's cool. Right, Burnetta?" She looks at her Tepig, who happily oinks while jumping up and down. I go over to my Tepig and say to him,

"Hey, you did amazing for your first battle. Don't worry about losing. It just means that we have to train harder, alright? Now come on back and have some down time." He weakly nods and I return him to his Poké Ball. Then I turn to White and say,

"Burnetta? You're nicknaming your Tepig Burnetta?"

"Yep. I'm going to give all my Pokémon nicknames." I scoff at the thought. Who would want to give their Pokémon some silly nickname? What's wrong with just calling them by their original name?

"Yeah, you do that. My Pokémon don't need frilly nicknames to be amazing."

"Whose Tepig was it that fainted? Wasn't _mine,_ Black!"

"Only because Oshawott and Snivy decided to team up on him!"

"Hey, you two. That was a very good battle we just had. I know Oshawott and I have a _lot_ more training to do. We have to get a lot stronger if we want to have a chance at the Unova League." Cheren says, looking intently at Oshawott's Poké Ball. Bianca smiles and puts Snivy's ball back in her purse, where it will inevitably get lost underneath the mountain of junk she keeps in there. Not that I've actually _seen_ what's in that big bag of hers, but judging by how long it takes her to find stuff… yeah, I imagine there's a lot of stuff in there she doesn't need.

We start walking towards Juniper's lab. So far, this has been the best day of my life. I've gotten my first Pokémon, had a _double_ battle with my sister against my best friends, and now I'm about to get a Pokédex and leave for my journey through the Unova region. I don't know what to expect, to be honest. The last person from Nuvema Town that actually _went_ on a Pokémon journey was… heck, I don't even remember. I think it was my mom – she's the youngest out of all of our parents that grew up here. So we'll be making a name not just for ourselves, but also for our quiet little town out in the real world. Cheren and I want to be Champion, White just seems to want to travel for the heck of it, and I don't know what Bianca wants to do. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

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><p><strong>AN: Throughout this story, I'll point out bits where the player would be able to influence certain events. For example, White picked the same starter as Black. If you, as the player, picked Snivy instead of Tepig as your starter, White (or Black) would also pick Snivy as well. The gender of your starter would also match yours. Be on the lookout for interactive bits like that, because there'll be a lot of them in the coming chapters.**

**Again, let me know your thoughts with a review! What do you like? What do you not like? Anything you think I should put in the story? I want to hear your feedback.**


	3. Ch 3: The First of Many Wild Encounters

**Chapter 3: The First of Many Wild Encounters**

"Professor Juniper! We're here to pick up our Pokédexes!" Bianca chimes as she opens the door to the lab, where the professor is busy tinkering with a large machine that looks like a sort of chamber for something.

"Oh, good! Did you meet your starter Pokémon already?" She leaves the machine and goes over to a computer, typing something. Kinda like White, her hair is also an interesting topic for discussion. It reminds me of a chestnut with its shape and color. It seems half the people I know have irregular hair, as Cheren has this particular lock of hair that absolutely refuses to stay down. It never bothers him – I've asked. Only Bianca and I seem to have hair that doesn't look… well, out of the ordinary.

"Yeah. We even had our first battle with them already." White says, looking at Burnetta's Poké Ball. Cheren retrieves Oshawott's ball from his pocket and looks at a healing machine in the corner of the room.

"Which also means our Pokémon are tired from exerting themselves. Do you think you could heal them for us before we leave, Professor?" He says, and Juniper finishes typing. She opens a drawer with four red Pokédexes in it and hands one to each of us.

"Not only will these Pokédexes give you vital information about all of the Pokémon you'll encounter on your travels, but they will also serve as a sort of progress counter. You should use it to scan any Pokémon you come across. The Pokédex records every species of Pokémon you see and catch, and you can send that data to me from any PC in the world. Be sure to send me your Pokédex data every now and then so I can see how far you four have gone!" All of us except Cheren put the Pokédexes in our bags; Cheren immediately turns on the device and starts browsing through the listings. He's always been a bookworm, and no doubt he'll be reading up on all the Pokémon one can find in the Unova region.

"I'd also be happy to heal your Pokémon for you." We give her our Pokémon and she places them on the healing machine. While the machine is doing its work, Cheren sits down on the couch to contain his reading of the Pokédex data. Bianca walks over to see how the machine works, and White and I stay where we're at.

"So, what do you want to catch first? I know there are Patrat, Lillipup, and Pidove living on Route 1." I ask White.

"Hmm. I think I'll just catch the first thing that I see. It doesn't really make a difference to me what pops out of the grass. They're all Normal-type, right?"

"Yeah. I think I'll see if I can't find a Lillipup. They're pretty loyal Pokémon. Not to mention, they're pretty tough when it comes to battle, especially when they evolve into Herdier and Stoutland." The machine makes a musical chime to indicate that it's done, and Professor Juniper returns our Pokémon to us.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I need to give you all some Poké Balls so that you can catch more Pokémon!" She goes to a cabinet, opens it, and pulls out a big clear box full of 'em. There must be at least a hundred in there, and I can see a few Great Balls and even an Ultra Ball in that box. She gives us five Poké Balls each.

"That should be enough until you get to Accumula Town. You can buy some more at the Pokémon Center there, as well as any healing items you may need." In other regions, items are sold in separate buildings called Poké Marts. While I don't know why we do it differently, it sure saves us Unovans some time and energy. On the downside, however, that also means the Centers get more crowded.

"Thanks, Professor. We'll be sure to make you and Nuvema Town proud." Cheren says, putting the Pokédex in his pocket.

"Yep! This is going to be so much fun!" Bianca puts the empty Poké Balls in her bag.

"I'll be looking forward to my first capture!" White holds out her arm holding one of the balls.

"It's finally time to get started with our journeys." I say, and minimize the balls before attaching them to my belt. My statement prompts Professor Juniper to turn towards the lab's biggest window, which faces Route 1. She sighs and then turns back to face us.

"It's been such a long time since I started on my own Pokémon journey. I used to go backpacking all over Unova and Hoenn. My father did the same when he was a trainer, too. It sure brings back a lot of memories, seeing you four go out on your own for the first time. Be sure to keep in touch with us! You know how your parents are – they worry about you. You all each have a Xtransceiver, right?" We all show her the devices on our wrists. We'd had them for a while, since they're pretty useful things.

"Good. You all know how to catch Pokémon?" We all nod – just about every kid in the world knows how it goes: you weaken a wild Pokémon with one of your own and then throw a Poké Ball at it. Couldn't be any simpler.

"Alright. Well, good luck and have a safe journey! I'll be looking forward to hearing from you in the future." We exit her lab and walk back to my house, so we can say goodbye to our parents. Oh, boy. This is going to be interesting.

"Mom! We're about to leave!" White calls out as we walk back into our living room. She comes down the stairs with a small stack of discs.

"I made copies of the party and the battle for each of you. You can watch them on a PC or download them to your Xtransceivers." After putting the discs away, our mom suddenly hugs both White and I real hard. Bianca chuckles a little bit.

"Ow, mom. You're squeezing us really hard." I say. She lets us go, and then wipes a tear from her eye.

"Oh, sorry, honey. It's just that… here you two are, all packed up and ready to go out on your Pokémon journey. I've been thinking about it ever since you two told me as little kids that you wanted to be Pokémon trainers, but all the thinking in the world couldn't prepare me for when the moment actually came." White smiles and puts a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll be fine. You know us better than anyone else. You know we're ready for this. And don't worry! You're the first contact on my Xtransceiver. We'll still be able to talk to each other." Our mom smiles, reaches into her pocket, and places a necklace into White's hand. White shows it to us; it's a necklace that has the white half of the yin-yang symbol. The fact that it's a half immediately means that she has the other half for me. And sure enough, that's exactly what happens next: my Mom pulls out another necklace with the black half of the yin-yang symbol and gives it to me.

"You know, I'm typically not into jewelry, but I think I'll make an exception for this. This is cool. Thanks, mom." I put on the necklace and put it underneath my jacket. White closes her eyes and then hugs our mom, a hug which I join as well.

"Awwwww!" Bianca gushes over the exchange, while Cheren just smiles. White and I let go of our mom and head out to say goodbye to Cheren and Bianca's parents. Cheren's parents are considerably less emotional, kinda like Cheren, but it's still easy to tell they're sad about him leaving. As for Bianca's parents… well, I've heard Beartic are some of the fiercest protectors of their young. Let's just say Bianca's dad could give a Beartic father a run for his money! I swear Bianca nearly had to pry herself out of his final hug with her bag. At any rate, we finally manage to leave Nuvema Town at around 1 PM. It's only spring, so it's not unbearably hot outside like it can get in summer.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!" Bianca shouts before any of us can cross the threshold into Route 1.

"What is it, Bianca?" Cheren asks.

"I want us all to take our first step onto Route 1. Together. Come on, let's hold hands!" Cheren sighs and looks down at the ground. Leave it to B to suggest something like that.

"Do we have to? It sounds so persnickety." I don't know what that word means, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that's the last thing Cheren wants to do right now.

"Yes! It won't even take a minute. Come on!" Cheren groans and we all hold hands. Man, I'm glad we live in a remote part of the region, or else someone might actually _see us._

"Okay. We all step forward on three. Ready?"

"Let's just get this over with." Cheren gripes.

"One. Two. Three!" On three, we all take a step forward onto Route 1. Immediately afterwards, Cheren lets go of Bianca's hand and starts walking off into the grass.

"I'll see you all in Accumula Town! Good luck!" Bianca looks towards the beaten path, which is still fairly grassy since not many people live out here. She fixes her beret and then releases her Snivy, which looks up at her wanting to know why it's out.

"Come on, Snivy! Let's go catch ourselves a Pokémon!" Snivy smiles and follows Bianca as she runs down the path. I take a deep breath and face White.

"Well, it looks like this is where we go our separate ways. I'll call everyone later on and see where they're at. We can have dinner in Accumula Town and then stay the night at the Pokémon Center." White looks at the grass in front of her and nods.

"Sounds like a plan, Black. You be careful, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

"Don't worry. I won't. I think _you're_ the one who should watch herself, though."

"Whatever. I'll see you later, okay?" She starts walking off in the same direction Cheren went, while I follow the beaten path that Bianca ran into earlier.

(4 hours later - 5:00 PM)

Even if it _is_ only spring, I'm really hot right now. I took off my jacket and put it in my bag to stay cool, but my black shirt is soaking up the heat like a sponge. I've been searching for a wild Pokémon all day, but every time I see one, it runs off or it's too far away from me to engage it without scaring it. Are they on early vacation, or what? I wonder if the others have had any luck. Tepig hasn't been out of his Poké Ball all day, either – not sure if he likes that or not.

I can see Accumula Town in the distance; it won't take me more than another fifteen minutes of walking to reach it. Man, I really need to capture a Pokémon. The first gym is in Striaton City, and I know I'll need more than just Tepig to be able to take it on.

I'm burning up out here and I didn't bring any water, so I start going straight for Accumula Town. As I walk on the beaten path, something rustles in one of the trees near the path. I can hear noises coming from it, but I can't make out what they are. Suddenly, a bird drops from the tree, and a Patrat pops its head out from the leaves, mocking the bird that fell onto the ground. It stuffs its face with an apple and then disappears, leaving the bird to stand up and caw at it angrily. There's something strange about this one, though. It's not a Pidove, for sure. In fact, it's holding some weird stick with a green, leafy edge on it. I've never seen it before, so I pull out the Pokédex and scan it. The mechanical male voice on the Pokédex reads this to me:

"Farfetch'd, the Wild Duck Pokémon. These rare Pokémon are currently endangered, due to overhunting in the past. It guards its precious onion sprig with its life. They are native to the Johto region, and are considered very rare in Unova." A Farfetch'd? In Unova? Well, looks like all that trudging through the wilderness has finally paid off.

"Tepig, come on out!" I release Tepig, who faces the Farfetch'd, ready to battle.

"Use Tackle on that bird right there!" The Farfetch'd just now noticed it wasn't alone, and is totally unprepared for Tepig's attack. It flies back about a foot, still holding onto its stick. Once it stands up, it glares at Tepig, really ticked off now that it just got hit after having its food stolen. It flies straight at Tepig, attempting to use Peck.

"Dodge it, Tepig!" Tepig barely manages to dodge the attack, and the Farfetch'd goes into the air and starts flapping its wings madly, sending blades of air at Tepig. Without me even telling it to, Tepig shoots bits of flame from its snout, which meet the air blades and cancel them out.

"Hey, you learned Ember! Great! Now use it again, Tepig!" Tepig readily obeys and lets loose another Ember, which the Farfetch'd dodges as it tries to charge at Tepig again.

"Stand your ground, Tepig! Let it have a face full of Ember!" The Farfetch'd wasn't expecting that, and is completely engulfed by Ember. It falls to the ground, dazed and trying to keep its balance with its stalk. This is my cue to catch it.

"Now, it's my turn! Poké Ball, do your thing!" I toss one at the bird, which sucks it in and lands on the ground. It shakes three times, but breaks open right before it actually catches Farfetch'd, splitting in half. Normally, Poké Balls just open up again – still reusable, in other words, but this one actually _split_ apart! Farfetch'd, though weakened from battling with Tepig, shouts something incomprehensible to me while pointing its stick at the trees. Okay, so it's mad at the Patrat for stealing its food, but what does it expect _me_ to do about it? Get it some food, or something?

"Tepig, don't let Farfetch'd move. I'll be right back." Maybe if I calm it down, it won't be so resistant to capture. I find a different tree than the one the Farfetch'd pointed at; I am _not_ going to have my face torn up by an angry Patrat. I climb up the tree and pluck two apples from one of the lower branches, and then jump down and go back to the Farfetch'd. I roll an apple to it, which it takes a big bite of and then smiles.

"Are you happy now? Think you'd like to join my team, Farfetch'd?" It eats the whole apple in just a few bites. Farfetch'd then leans on its stalk, as if it's considering the offer. I'm not really sure why I'm negotiating with a bird Pokémon, but I get the feeling it'll warm up to me more if I don't treat it like dirt. I roll the second apple to Tepig, who roasts it with Ember before eating it. That actually doesn't sound too bad – roasted apple. I wonder what it tastes like.

Farfetch'd caws to get my attention. It smiles and points its stick at the broken halves of the Poké Ball lying on the ground. I take another ball from my belt and lightly toss it at the bird, taking it in and shaking three times before making that characteristic hollow chime. I turn to Tepig and say,

"Well, looks like all our hard work paid off. We caught ourselves a Farfetch'd! Now come on, Tepig. Get some down time before we go and eat at Accumula." I return him to his Poké Ball, pick up the broken pieces of the other ball, and head for Accumula. No matter what the others caught, I can guarantee them they won't have a Pokémon like mine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Many thanks to Ice Charizard for providing the first review. I'm sure that sort of confusion won't happen again, since White nicknamed her Tepig. **

**Next chapter is the first meeting with Team Plasma and N… which means things are about to take off from here. Can't wait to get to the fun parts of this. Thanks for reading, and if you haven't done so already, leave a review! **


	4. Chapter 4: A New Variable

**Chapter 4: A New Variable**

As I make my way into Accumula Town, there's a small crowd of people gathered around the town square. What they're watching makes me think that I've been out in the sun too long: some weird middle-aged man with a freaky-looking robe that appears to weigh ten pounds is walking back and forth, loudly talking about something. Behind the robed man is a line of what look like knights in white armor, two of them holding banners with a strange symbol on them. Cheren is at the edge of the crowd, watching them. I go over and stand next to him while the big weirdo talks and talks. I also let out Tepig, since we're about to go into the Pokémon Center in a minute.

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work... can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?" The people around me start murmuring, acknowledging that Big Robe's statement kinda makes sense.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention." After his speech, Big Robe is surrounded by the knights, who walk out of the town in formation. The crowd is left talking to itself, and an older man says over them,

"What does he mean by 'liberate'? What exactly should we do about that man's speech?" A younger man in the crowd raises a fist and shouts,

"Nothing! He's a crackpot! How can we 'liberate' Pokémon? That doesn't even make sense!" The crowd quickly agrees with them and disperses, leaving behind only Cheren and one guy with long, green hair wearing loose, gray clothing. Tepig starts talking, probably to ask what the heck just happened, which makes the guy with the green hair perk up and walk over to us. His eyes are as wide as a Jigglypuff's, and he says to me,

"Your Tepig… do you know what it just said?" I look at Cheren and then back to this guy, puzzled.

"Uh, is that supposed to be a trick question? Humans can't understand Pokémon word-for-word, you know."

"Oh, that's not true. I can understand the language of Pokémon just as well as I understand the language of humans. In fact, your Tepig just said that—"

"Slow down. You talk too fast." Cheren cuts him off, irked by his strange attitude. He then asks the guy,

"What do you mean you can understand 'the language of Pokémon'? Are you saying you can tell me exactly what Black's Tepig said? Down to the last word?" The green-haired guy seems to ignore Cheren and pouts.

"So, it seems you don't understand them either… what a shame. My name is N." This guy is starting to creep me out. He talks way too fast, chatters about weird things, and sounds _way_ too sincere about what he's talking about. Also, who in the world has a single _letter_ for a name? Maybe he doesn't like his real name, like me, and just shortened it to N because he thought it was cool.

"My name is Cheren. His name is Black," he gestures to me.

"We're both aspiring to become the Champion of the Unova region." He tells N. N shakes his head and leans his forehead on his arm, as if what Cheren just told him gave him a headache.

"Champion? That would mean training your Pokémon very, very hard. You'd be putting them through a lot of strain and hardship by doing that. I mean, I'm a trainer as well, but… sometimes I wonder if Pokémon are really happy with a life of training and fighting." He steps very close to me, and retrieves the one Poké Ball on his belt.

"Do you wonder the same, Black? I want to hear your Tepig speak even more! I want to hear its voice once again! Please, have a battle with me!" He releases a Purrloin beside him, ready to go. I don't want to say it out loud, but this guy's got some real problems. He's not _completely_ crazy, but it seems like he hasn't gotten out very much in however long he's been alive. In comparison to the purple cat sitting next to him, he looks as pale as snow. I don't want to battle him, but if that's the only way I'll get him to leave me alone, I'm fine with that.

"Tepig, let's do this! Are you ready?" Tepig nods firmly, eyes focused on the Purrloin that N sent out.

"Okay! Let's start off with Ember!" Tepig shoots bits of flame from his snout at the cat, which dodges it easily.

"Purrloin, execute a Scratch attack!" Even the way he gives commands sounds a bit strange. It's like he's trying not to sound too forceful, but his direction comes out sounding like a request more than a command. Purrloin rushes at Tepig, far too fast for him to dodge. Luckily, it seems that the cat isn't very strong, as Tepig hasn't lost his balance after the attack.

"It's fast, but don't let its speed bother you! Use Ember again while running to the side!" Tepig turns his head to aim the Ember attack in a wave at Purrloin while running, which works out well as it can't jump far enough to evade the full range of Tepig's attack.

"Once more, Purrloin!" Purrloin hisses and then rushes towards Tepig again. If Tepig can't dodge, then he'll just have to meet the cat head-on.

"Tackle, Tepig! Go straight for Purrloin!" Tepig and Purrloin's attacks both meet their marks, but it's obvious that Tepig was the one who did more damage. Purrloin whirls around while flying towards the ground – Tepig must have hit it harder than I thought. Even after a hit like that, Purrloin still manages to get up, growling.

"Don't give up, Purrloin! Try to confuse Tepig by running in a circular path before executing Scratch!" The purple cat follows N's command to the letter, running around and around Tepig. After trying to follow it for a few seconds, Purrloin breaks the circle and scratches Tepig. He still looks hardly bothered by the hit – must be because Purrloin's on the verge of fainting.

"Let's finish this, Tepig! Use Ember!" Tepig fires a load of flames at Purrloin, who's too tired to effectively dodge any more attacks. The Ember hits and knocks it out, ending the battle. Without saying a word, N returns the fainted Pokémon and murmurs something to the Poké Ball. I also recall Tepig.

"I never expected to hear Pokémon say such things…" It seems like he was talking to himself, but Cheren and I could hear it pretty clearly. He then looks back at me, with the same calm, unsettling gaze he had before.

"As long as Pokémon are captive to a trainer's every whim, they will never become perfect beings. I have to change the world for Pokémon, because they're my friends." Without even saying goodbye, he turns around and leaves.

"I don't know about you, Black, but doesn't what he just said to us said a bit… hypocritical? I mean, he _did_ just use that Purrloin to battle you. It listened to every word he said. He's contradicting himself." I start walking towards the Pokémon Center.

"Whatever. I just hope I don't have to see him again. N was… weird, and not in a good way, either." The automatic doors of the Center open for us and we walk inside, where Bianca is sitting at a table with her Snivy, who's standing on top of the table eating. She also has a Lillipup, which is eating its food from a bowl on the floor. Her back is turned to us, so she doesn't see us come in at first. We get up close to her and I say,

"Hey, Bianca! I thought we were going to wait until White got here to start eating!" She turns around and then waves at me, while Cheren goes to Nurse Joy's desk to have his Pokémon healed.

"I know, but Snivy and Angel here were really hungry, so I decided to feed them early. I haven't eaten yet, though, so don't worry." Angel, the Lillipup, turns from her food and happily barks at me, panting with a smile on her face. I can see where Bianca got the nickname from. Snivy looks at me for a second and then returns to eating, acting aloof as he had before. I wonder if his attitude is why he's eating on the table and not on the floor like Angel.

"Fine. Be right back." I give my Pokémon to Nurse Joy, and a few minutes later, the three of us are sitting at the table with our Pokémon fully healed, waiting for White to show up.

"So, Bianca, did you notice that demonstration outside earlier?" I ask her. She shrugs and watches Snivy eat.

"Yeah, but it didn't look interesting to me, so I just stayed in here. Was it any good?" I shook my head. Cheren looks out the window to where Big Robe was preaching and says,

"Hardly. Some strange group talked about 'liberating' Pokémon. Their leader seemed to believe that everybody was misusing them, and that the best thing to do for them would be releasing them. A lot of bothersome nonsense like that." Bianca gives him a funny look and then looks at Angel and Snivy, who only seems remotely interested what Cheren was talking about as he continues eating.

"Release them? Why? Snivy and Angel are happy being with me. Right?"

"Vee." Snivy nods, and Angel barks in agreement. I look outside and say,

"I know White wants to see all the sights in Unova, but Route 1 isn't that exciting! I'm going to call her and see where she's at." I sigh and dial her number on the Xtransceiver. Within three rings, she picks up. She looks flushed, probably from having been in the sun longer than any of us.

"I'm almost there, Black. I'm just about to enter the town. Is everyone else already there?"

"Yeah, Cheren and Bianca are sitting with me at a table in the Pokémon Center. Once you get here, we can go eat, check out each other's new Pokémon, maybe even have another battle." She wipes some sweat from her forehead and pants.

"Maybe. I'm really tired, Black. I don't know what you and the others did, but I'm beat. Food sounds amazing right now, but I think I'll go to sleep early tonight."

"So long as you meet my little Angel here! You really have to, White. She's such a sweetie!" Bianca says into the Xtransceiver, blocking my view of White. Angel barks in the background, and White gives a tired chuckle.

"Sure, Bianca. Listen, I'll see you three in a minute. Bye." She hangs up. Cheren is reading from the Pokédex again, still immersed in the technical information. While browsing through it, he asks me,

"So, I see Bianca caught a Lillipup. What did you catch?" I grin and pull the unmarked Poké Ball from my belt and let Farfetch'd out on the floor near me. Immediately upon being released, Farfetch'd smiles and caws in greeting. Cheren's eyes widen and he turns to scan Farfetch'd with the Pokédex. The machine reads the entry to him. Bianca gets up and leans down to meet Farfetch'd in the eyes.

"Ooh, so you're a rare Pokémon here, huh? I wonder why that stalk is so important to you."

"It seems your Farfetch'd is male, Black. How in the world did you find him?" Cheren adjusts his glasses and studies the bird, especially the stalk he carries.

"He got thrown out of a tree by a Patrat that stole his food. Tepig and I battled him. I threw a Poké Ball at him when I thought he was weak enough, but he split the thing in half!" I pull out the halves of the broken ball and show them to Cheren.

"That's known to happen when the Pokémon you're trying to capture is exceptionally strong, or if the Poké Ball is old or poorly constructed. We don't know how long Professor Juniper has had those Poké Balls, so this could've happened for either reason. Have you battled with him yet?"

"No, not yet. Yeah, he practically asked to join me after I fed him a few apples from a nearby tree. What moves does he know? I think he knows Peck and Air Cutter, at least." Cheren scans him again.

"Peck, Air Cutter, Fury Attack, and Sand-Attack. Not bad." Angel runs over to him and starts talking to him, tail wagging like a dog Pokémon's regularly does. They engage in a conversation, which unfortunately makes me think of N. He said he could understand Pokémon language. Although the thought of him is unsettling, the ability to clearly understand what Pokémon are saying sounds pretty cool regardless.

"Snivy." The Grass-type jumps off of the table and joins the conversation, which makes Bianca grin and point her Xtransceiver at the trio. She presses a button and takes a picture of the three talking about whatever. Just then, the entrance doors open and White walks in, Burnetta at her side. She walks straight towards Nurse Joy's counter.

"Hey, guys." She mutters before placing Burnetta on the counter, along with two other Poké Balls. She comes over to our table and takes her hat and bag off, putting her head down on the table.

"I thought _I_ had it bad. White, what did you _do_ all day? I noticed you caught two Pokémon. Nice." I say to her. She turns her head to face me, and lets out a heavy sigh.

"Did you know Route 1 isn't just a straight shot to Accumula Town? It actually has a western part that goes out to Routes 17 and 18. Well, I decided to explore it – as much as I could, since Routes 17 and 18 require either you or one of your Pokémon to swim in order to navigate them. Well, it turns out a flock of territorial Pidove and Tranquill live out that way, and they do _not_ like visitors. And you know what they like less than visitors? Visitors catching one of their flock." She groans.

"So you had to run from them? Oh, White, that's terrible!" Bianca sits down next to White and massages her shoulders.

"Wow. At least you managed to get away without being hurt." Cheren said. Angel notices her trainer tending to White, and goes over and starts making a yipping noise. Farfetch'd flies onto the table, and Snivy hops on it as well. White looks at them and says,

"Can we just go eat now? I want to get some rest." She gets up from the table and puts her hat and bag back on. She goes back to the counter, where Nurse Joy returns her Pokémon to her. Burnetta goes back in her Poké Ball, Bianca recalls her Pokémon, and I call back Farfetch'd. We all leave the Center in hope of finding some decent place to eat; I still haven't heard the rest of Bianca's story, and I have no idea what Cheren caught or how he caught it. I'm tired, but not compared to White. Sheesh, now I kinda feel stupid for complaining about the heat when she had to bolt from a flock of ticked-off bird Pokémon _and_ had to deal with the heat. She deserves her rest. At least she got here after all that business with Big Robe and N went down. I think meeting a guy like N is the last thing one needs to do after escaping the wrath of angry Pidove and Tranquill.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The farther this story goes, the less it'll seem like the original two games. Yeah, there'll still be Gym battles, hordes of Team Plasma grunts to beat, and more rival battles. It's just that the legendaries will play a much larger role in this story than they did in B/W. **

**Read it. Review it. I appreciate the feedback! **


	5. Chapter 5: Legends and Illusions, Part 1

**Chapter 5: Legends and Illusions, Part 1**

(9:00 AM, the next morning)

I wake up right at nine thanks to the alarm on my Xtransceiver. Unlike the other three, I like staying up late and waking up late – not that 9 AM is late to some people, but when you're from a town with nothing to do like I am, you don't have much of a _reason_ to stay up all night. Cheren had already left before I woke up, so I got a fairly calm awakening.

We all talked about the individual paces we wanted our journeys to go at, and we decided that it would be best if we just went our separate ways. Cheren wanted to move real fast, since he wanted to be the first to challenge all the Gyms. Bianca also wanted to take it pretty quickly, but only because she's taken _everything _pretty quickly – her goals are still kinda up in the air at this point. I'm not in a hurry like they are, though. The Unova League isn't going anywhere, and neither are the Gyms. I want to take it nice and steady. As for White, since her goal is to see all the interesting sights in Unova, she'll be moving the slowest. She told us that she'll buy a mountain bike as soon as she can to help her out with that.

I return the room key to Nurse Joy and buy some stuff for the road: potions, Poké Balls, and a sticker for Farfetch'd's Poké Ball. There are many different ways to mark Poké Balls to tell them apart, but I think the stickers will work just fine for me. Here in Accumula Town, all they have is type stickers, but in large cities like Castelia and Nimbasa, they have a sticker of each and every known species of Pokémon.

When I leave the Pokémon Center, all is well and peaceful in Accumula Town; no big-robed weirdos or white-armored knights hanging around. Everything's fine and dandy until I leave. I step onto Route 2 and immediately hear a girl's voice calling out to me from behind.

"Hello? Hello?" I turn around and see a girl jogging towards me who I'm sure must be a hardcore Pokémon fan; she's dressed up like… well, actually, I don't think I've ever seen whatever Pokémon it is. Her hair is a real, real light blue, short and spiking back at the sides. She's wearing a gray vest with trim on the sides the same color as her hair. The vest shows her midriff, and she' s also wearing tight-fitting gray pants and something tied around her waist that's colored like her hair. The only thing normal-looking about her is her face, which is kinda pale-looking. That, and the purse she's carrying on her shoulder, which is… the same color as her hair – okay, maybe not.

And I thought N was strange! She stops in front of me and extends a hand towards me.

"My name is Kiley. Can I talk to you for a sec about something?" I shake her hand and scratch the back of my head; I'm really hoping she doesn't turn out to be another N. She doesn't talk as fast as he does, but I think listening to her high-pitched voice would get annoying after a while.

"Go ahead. You have my attention." She gives me a thumbs up and then points to herself.

"Do you know what Pokémon I'm dressed up as?"

"Nope. Is it from another region, or something?" She smiles and shakes her head.

"Not at all! Do you know about the legends of Reshiram and Zekrom?" I shrug. Most Unovans knew a thing or two about the legendary dragons; not a whole lot, since most of the tales about them were just myths.

"Yeah, more or less." She pulls out what appears to be a sketchbook from her purse and flips through it, stopping on what appears to be a dragon made out of ice.

"Well, according to legend, Unova was created by two brothers that were helped by a legendary dragon Pokémon. After they unified the people, the two brothers started arguing over whether truth or ideals were more important. They argued so much that the dragon split into two, one half siding with the brother that sought truth, and the other half siding with the brother that sought ideals. Reshiram sided with the brother seeking truth, and Zekrom sided with the brother seeking ideals." Never knew the details of the old myth, but okay.

"That's what most people know regarding Reshiram and Zekrom. But, did you know that a _third_ dragon was involved? Supposedly, it arrived on a comet that crashed somewhere near present-day Lacunosa Town. It sensed the imbalance in ancient Unova, and went to see what the source of it was. When it got there, it decided not to side with _either_ of the brothers. It tried to stop their arguing, but Reshiram and Zekrom beat it in battle and forced it to leave. Supposedly, during that battle, it was so badly wounded that all the cuts on its body released some kind of… freezing energy, and then—"

"Okay, hold up. Why are you telling me this? Why me, of all people? Couldn't you just do what Big Robe did yesterday and talk about it in public?" Kiley's green eyes widened and then she looked back to the town.

"No! I'm from there – everybody thinks I'm a weirdo because I'm so into legendary Pokémon. They'd just ignore me. But I saw you beat that guy with the long green hair the other day and thought you might like to know, since we don't get very many visitors. I actually tried to talk to your friend Cheren earlier, but he was in so much of a hurry that I didn't even get as far as I did talking to _you._ Your name's Black, right? Or at least, that's what you like to be called?" So Cheren's met this chick, huh? I'm surprised he didn't stay and listen to her tales about whatever third dragon this was. Then again, he's pretty dead set on beating me to all the Gyms, so maybe it's not that surprising.

"Yep. Call me Black. Did you meet Bianca, or my sister White?"

"Your sister's called White? Ha, that's awesome! But uh, anyways, no, I didn't. This dragon—" she points to the frozen dragon in the picture,

"—this dragon became frozen because its internal energy leaked out from all of the wounds it received fighting Reshiram and Zekrom. Its name is supposed to be… Kyurem. Of course, this is all based on what I could find out about it. Do you know how hard it was to find someone who knew what this dragon looked like, much less the bit about its internal freezing energy? Supposedly, after being exiled by Reshiram and Zekrom, it—"

"Kiley, I appreciate the mythology lesson, but I've got somewhere I need to go. Sorry." She sighs and then puts the sketchbook back in her purse. I thought people like her only lived in big cities, where _all sorts_ of people could be found because there's so many. Guess not.

"I understand, Black. You're a busy trainer headed for Striaton City to challenge the Gym there, right? That's where Cheren was headed, too. There's not really a whole lot to do in Accumula Town, so I always relish the opportunity to tell a visitor about the legends of Unova. Sorry if I've been annoying you this whole time." She frowns. I sigh. Even if she's dressed up as some frozen, mythical dragon Pokémon, she _does_ look really cute. And it's not like she claimed to be able to talk to Pokémon like N.

"No, it's… it's fine. That story about Kyurem was actually pretty interesting. I know you want to tell me the whole story, but I've got to get a move on. Here, I see you have a Xtransceiver – why don't I give you my number and you can tell me the rest some other time?" Kiley looks at her wrist and presses a button on the side of her Xtransceiver. I press the same button on mine, and in a few seconds, we both have each other's number. The display on my Xtransceiver doesn't have a picture next to her contact info, which makes me curious as to what Kiley normally looks like. That can't be her real hair color. It also says she's 19, and that her birthday is December 19th.

"Thanks, Black. You're very nice, you know that? I really appreciate you taking some time to listen to my stories." I nod and turn around, beginning to walk through Route 2.

"Yeah, no problem! If you're wondering about a decent time to call me, you can call me around 9 PM, when I'm in Striaton! Hopefully I won't be too tired out from traveling and battling to pick up." She gives me a small, cute little wave as I leave.

"Alright! I'll call you later, okay? Bye!" I keep walking away until I can't see her anymore; unlike N, who walked away immediately after he said his spiel about captive Pokémon, Kiley watches me the whole time. I can't pretend to understand someone like her, but she must be real lonely if she bothered to watch me walk for ten whole minutes. I don't know if I should be flattered or creeped out by that.

(11:30 AM)

Unlike Route 1, I haven't spent most of my time trying to search for a new Pokémon. There are actually plenty of wild Pokémon around this time. I've been training Tepig and Farfetch'd, and even got into a couple of battles with other trainers who live in Striaton. They asked me if I knew anything about the Gym there, which I didn't. Then they all asked who my starter was, and told me to be prepared to fight against a Water-type named Panpour, along with two others like it named Pansear and Pansage. I looked them up on the Pokédex – they look like elemental monkeys. The trainers told me that Cress was the Gym Leader I should really watch out for, because he'd use Panpour to try and beat me easily. It seems that the Striaton Gym demands triple battles in order to earn the Trio Badge, which makes sense.

I can see Striaton City from the top of this hill. Assuming a wild Pokémon or trainer doesn't pop out of the trees on the way over, it should be smooth sailing from here. So if I'm going to be participating in a triple battle, I'm going to need a third Pokémon. As I'm thinking over which Pokémon I should have as my third, I get a call on my Xtransceiver from Professor Juniper. I answer the call and see her chilling in the lab, apparently.

"Black! How are you doing?"

"Fine, Professor. Did you need something?" Something squeaks in the background and she turns away for a second to say,

"No, Patrat, get off of there! You're not supposed to climb on the lab equipment!" The Patrat squeaks again and I can hear its feet hit the floor.

"Sorry about that, Black. I found that Patrat scurrying around Nuvema Town looking for food, so I caught it and decided to bring it here. Anyways, yes, I do need you to do something for me. Are you near Striaton City yet?"

"Yeah, I'm about to enter it. Why?"

"Well, I have a friend there that could really use your help with her research. She needs someone to run an errand for her – her name's Fennel. She lives in an apartment building next to the Gym. I'll tell her you're coming; she'll probably be waiting outside for you." I kinda wonder why she didn't ask Cheren, since he probably got there long before I did, but whatever.

"Alright. What's the errand? Do you know?"

"No, not really. She only left me a text message asking if I knew anyone in the vicinity of Striaton that could help her with an errand. You were the first person I thought of." Interesting.

"Okay. Yeah, no problem. I can help her out."

"Thanks, Black. I'll talk to you later – this Patrat is really a handful. Goodbye!"

"Bye, Professor." She hangs up and I make my way to Striaton City.

It feels good to be in a place that actually has a lot of people out and about, and that actually has buildings taller than two stories. Being from a rural town like Nuvema, I've never really seen buildings this tall in person. From where I entered, I can see the Pokémon Center from here, as well as a tall, magnificent-looking building with a stylized Poké Ball on it. Since my Pokémon have been training pretty hard, my first instinct is to head for the Pokémon Center. As I approach it, a woman's voice calls out my name – wait, isn't this the second time something like this has happened today?

"Black! Over here!" I turn and see a woman with long, dark hair wearing a lab coat waving at me. Is this-

"It's me, Fennel!" It is. It's Professor Juniper's friend. I walk over to her. She looks really happy to see me, and immediately turns around and opens the door to the apartment building. We go in and she leads me up a flight of stairs. She opens the first door on the right, and leads me inside. The room looks about what I'd expect from one of the professor's friends; big bookcase, computers, and some weird device sitting in the middle next to… a bed? There's also a brown-haired girl wearing blue glasses typing away at one of the computers. She looks at us for a second and then back to the screen.

"So, you got your first Pokémon from Professor Juniper, huh? Which one did you pick?"

"Tepig."

"Very nice! Male or female?"

"Male." Fennel opens a drawer and rummages through it, pulling out what appears to be a TM from it with a reflective label on its surface. She hands it to me and says,

"Here's what I need you to do, Black. This is HM01, Cut. It's a Hidden Machine – like your average TM, except they're harder to come across and pack more punch than most TMs. Do you have a Pokémon with claws or talons or something sharp on its body?" Farfetch'd sounds like a good match.

"Yeah. A Farfetch'd." She raises her eyebrows, surprised that I have a rare Pokémon like that. I'm starting to like that reaction from people – everyone loves a rare Pokémon.

"Really? Where'd you find one of those here in the Unova region?"

"Route 1."

"I see! That's very interesting. Now, do you know how to use one of these?"

"I think so. It requires a TM case, right?" I take off my bag, open it up, and pull out the slender-looking case. It has two indentations in it; a smaller, deeper one, and a wider one that's closer to the surface.

"Yes. Just place the HM at the bottom and then place Farfetch'd's Poké Ball on top of it. Then press the Poké Ball button at the edge twice." I do everything she says; on the first press, the TM case locks the Poké Ball in place and on the second press, I hear a whirring sound coming from it. The sound stops after a few seconds and the case releases the Poké Ball. I take it and the HM out, and put the HM in the case. It's my first move-teaching machine, actually.

"And there we go. Farfetch'd now knows Cut. What I want you to do know is to go to the Dreamyard just east of here, cut down all the trees blocking the entrance to the rest of it, and fetch some Dream Mist produced by a Pokémon named Munna with_ this_." She reaches into the drawer and gives me a hand vacuum, which is purple and decorated with flower stickers. Great. A girly vacuum.

I'd ask what Munna looks like, but Fennel has a _huge_ poster of it on the wall along with its evolution, Musharna. It's decorated with about a hundred hearts and bits of girly writing, with such phrases like "Cutest Pokémon EVER!", "Kawaii~", "Carol from Kanto wants one!", and "Dream Mist – WANT!" scribbled on it. It reminds me of Bianca; if she ever meets Fennel, I can almost guarantee the two would gush over Munna/Musharna and then Bianca would spend the whole day trying to catch one. Speaking of which, why hasn't Fennel tried to catch one herself, if she loves them so much?

"I… see. So this Dream Mist is just going to be floating around in the Dreamyard, or what? I'm guessing it looks like _that?_" I point at the pink stuff coming out of Musharna's head on the poster. Fennel giggles and nods.

"Yes, just like that. You won't need to battle a Munna for it; the little dears will often just leave it lying around. My only warning to you is not to inhale it, or else you'll immediately fall asleep. Okay?" I sigh and put the vacuum in my bag. Where's Cheren when you need him? I could really use a guy my age to talk to right now, rather than fangirls or kids who love to wear shorts. Sure, Fennel's got to be at least ten years older than me, and she _is_ one of Professor Juniper's friends, but she reminds me of Kiley and Bianca in that they all _love_ Pokémon a lot.

"No problem. I'll be back, then." Guess the Striaton Gym will have to wait. That's fine. I still need to decide on a third Pokémon before challenging the Gym, anyway. I leave Fennel's apartment, heal my Pokémon at the Center, and head for the eastern end of Striaton City, which is marked by a large grouping of trees that provide some shade. I can see a few people in the distance, as well a chain-link fence blocking off most of the Dreamyard. Well, the sooner I get done with this errand, the sooner I can look for a third Pokémon and the sooner I can challenge the Gym. Let's go.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know there's supposed to be a battle with Bianca on Route 2, but don't worry - we'll get to see another battle with her soon. Btw, I always pegged Fennel as that type of person, lol. Plus, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was hoping for the Striaton Gym battle to be a triple. Next chapter, we meet Munna, Musharna, and some other human characters you already know… so stay tuned.**


	6. Chapter 6: Legends and Illusions, Part 2

**Chapter 6: Legends and Illusions, Part 2**

The Dreamyard looks more like a junkyard, in my opinion. Most of it is fenced off or blocked by a big concrete wall, and more kids in shorts are playing Shadow Tag outside. The only structure that doesn't look all beat up is this small house facing all the junk with a short wooden fence beside it. A young woman wearing an apron is leaning against the fence, whistling as she watches the kids play. The trees that Fennel wanted me to cut down are blocking a big hole in the concrete wall.

"Okay, Farfetch'd. Let's do this." I release him and he caws. I point at the small trees blocking the hole.

"Use Cut on all those trees so I can get through!" He seems to salute me with his free wing and then flies at the trees, using his stalk as a sword to slice the trees to bits. When he's done, he flies on top of the wall and caws, saluting me again like I'm some army commander. I don't know why he does that, but it's funny.

"Good job. C'mon, let's see if we can't find that Dream Mist Fennel wants." I step over the remains of the trees and through the hole in the wall, and Farfetch'd immediately perches on another wall. I should have told him what the Dream Mist looks like and have him search for it; it'd make things go a lot quicker that way.

"Ooh, someone finally cut down those trees!" I hear a familiar voice from behind; I turn around and see Bianca stepping through the tree remains and the hole in the wall. She sees me and immediately runs over to me.

"Hey, Black! Were you the one that cut those trees down?" I point up at Farfetch'd, who's looking around for something.

"It was Farfetch'd that did the cutting. I just told him what to cut. Thank him." At the mention of his name, he notices Bianca and salutes her. She waves at him and says,

"Thanks, Farfetch'd! Black, are you here to look for the mysterious Pokémon, too?"

"Um, I'm here doing an errand for Fennel, one of Professor Juniper's friends. She asked me to get some Dream Mist for her. It's produced by Pokémon called Munna and Musharna. I guess those two are why you're here?" She nods and starts walking forward.

"Yep! I want to have a rare Pokémon, too, but these trees were blocking my way and I didn't know how to get past them." If she had the Cut HM like I did, she probably could've taught it to Snivy or something. Guess she hasn't met Fennel yet. Where is someone supposed to _get_ HMs from, anyway? Fennel's comment about them implied that they're pretty difficult to find.

We both start walking through the junkyard, which isn't as big as I originally thought it was going to be. Within a few minutes, we can see the edge of it, which is full of tall grass and trees that wild Pokémon like to hide in. I start to walk further in, but Bianca pulls on my sleeve and stops me.

"Shh! Black, did you hear that? Something made a noise on the other side of that wall. Let's go see what it is!" I shrug and follow her around the wall, and see a floating, pink lump eating some of the grass a few feet away. The Munna immediately notices us, stopping its meal.

"Muuun…" It mutters, before slowly backing away from us. Before we can approach it, two of those white knights I saw in Accumula Town jump out from behind a wall and surround the Munna.

"Ha! Finally found you, Munna!" The woman shouts.

"Come on! Give us some of that Dream Mist, Munna!" The man shouts, and then kicks Munna with his pointy white boot. It squeals in pain, and then Bianca yells,

"What are you _doing?_ Who are you people?" The two knights turn to us, Bianca looking at them in horror. For some strange reason, they both have the same ginger hair color. The man says in an authoritative voice,

"Are you talking about us? We're Team Plasma. We battle day and night to liberate Pokémon from foolish humans!" The woman similarly says,

"What are we doing? Munna and Musharna emit a mysterious vapor called Dream Mist, which can reveal people's dreams. We're going to use that to make people want to release their Pokémon. We'll show them dreams to manipulate their hearts." These two are with the group that surrounded Big Robe the other day? That can't be good. The man rears his foot back and kicks Munna, making it squeal again. He shouts at it,

"Come on! Spit out that Dream Mist!" The woman scoffs in impatience and then pulls out a pink Poké Ball – a Heal Ball, actually.

"This is taking too long! Here, let me catch it and we'll get the Dream Mist later!"

"Wait! Why are you kicking Munna to get it to give you its Dream Mist? Aren't you trainers, too?" The woman glares at Bianca.

"Of course we are! We fight for a much more noble reason, however. Unlike you two, we're fighting for the freedom of Pokémon!" With those words, she throws the Heal Ball at Munna, which gets sucked in. While the ball shakes, the man says,

"And setting Pokémon free means winning battles and taking Pokémon by force!" He doesn't know how contradictory that sounds, not to mention how _stupid_ it is. After the third shake, the ball clicks and makes that hollow chime. The woman picks it up and puts it in her pants pocket, smiling devilishly.

"Got you!" The man steps close to me and says,

"On that note, allow us to rescue your Pokémon from you!" He pulls a Poké Ball off his belt and lets out a Patrat, which snarls at me threateningly. Farfetch'd notices that I'm now in actual danger and flies over, landing between me and the Patrat. He caws angrily at the Patrat, ready to battle it.

"What? You can't do this! Leave Black alone!" Bianca cries, and the woman laughs at her before releasing a Purrloin next to the Patrat. That cat looks about as ticked off as the Patrat, ready to jump on Bianca's face and start slashing at it in a second.

"What are _you_ going to do about it, little girl? Just try and stop us!" At that, Bianca gives her a firm look and pulls out a Poké Ball from her bag in just two seconds – a new record for her. She sends out Angel, who immediately sees the angry Purrloin and changes her expression to match, loudly barking at it.

"We can do this, Black! We can win!" Her voice is shaking. I nod and focus on the Patrat.

"Of course! Remember what Cheren told you to do in our first battle? Well, we have to do that now! Focus Angel's attacks on the Patrat!"

"Enough babbling! Patrat, use Bide!" The man shouts, and Patrat obeys, standing there ready to take any attack we throw at it.

"Purrloin, intimidate them with your Growl!" Purrloin makes a terrible snarling noise, which distracts Farfetch'd. As for Angel, it only serves to upset her even further, as she's growling right back.

"Angel, don't pay attention to it! Use Bite on the Patrat!" Angel darts for Patrat and bites its arm; the Patrat winces in pain, but doesn't do anything to counter or even dodge.

"Farfetch'd, come on! Use Air Cutter on Patrat!" Angel hears my command and moves away so as not to get hit by the blades Farfetch'd generates with his wings; they hit their target perfectly, but the Patrat still hasn't bothered to retaliate. What's going on?

"Purrloin, Scratch that insolent little dog!" Purrloin hisses and then charges at Angel.

"Watch out, Angel!" The Lillipup attempts to dodge, but can't and gets hit by the attack. Unlike N's Purrloin, this one hits pretty hard, whirling Angel around. As for the Patrat, it's still standing there, wide open to attacks. When's it going to fight back already? I don't get it.

"Angel, no! Use Bite on Purrloin!" I told her to focus on Patrat, but it looks like that Purrloin's more of a threat than I thought. No problem. The Patrat hasn't even attempted to attack yet.

"Farfetch'd, help Angel out with Air Cutter!" Farfetch'd takes to the air and flaps hard, releasing blades of air at Purrloin.

"Enough Biding! Patrat, release your energy on Lillipup!" Angel's manages to bite Purrloin's tail, but that leaves her wide open for Patrat's next attack. It glows with a silver energy and rams Angel as hard as it can, sending her flying into the wall and knocking her out. Bianca gasps while Air Cutter fully hits Purrloin, making it roll over next to Patrat.

"Angel, no!" She recalls her and then attempts to dig up Snivy's Poké Ball. Unfortunately, her nerves are getting to her, and it's taking forever.

"Bring that stupid bird down with Sand-Attack, Purrloin!"

"Patrat, use Bide again!" Great. Now I've got no support, although I can't blame Bianca for it – it's these Team Plasma goons that are freaking her out. At least the Patrat won't bother me if Farfetch'd doesn't attack it, I hope.

Purrloin starts kicking up sand, which gets in Farfetch'd's eyes and wings. He tries to keep aloft, but is forced to land because of all the sand the Purrloin hit him with.

"Now Scratch that ridiculous stalk out of that bird's wing!"

"Watch out, Farfetch'd!" I call to him, and he barely manages to turn around and protect his stalk before the Purrloin hits him hard in the back, which slams him face-down on the ground. Bianca is still frantically looking for Snivy's Poké Ball as the man shouts,

"Patrat, cease Biding! Bite that pitiful bird!" Farfetch'd manages to get up and fly away before the Patrat can reach him, which is good – because he doesn't need to get hit with another attack. I still have Tepig if he faints, but I don't want it to have to come to that.

"Finally! Snivy, go!" Bianca retrieves the Poké Ball from her bag and sends out her starter, which looks at its opponents and just smirks at them, confident in its abilities.

"Use Vine Whip on that Purrloin!" Snivy immediately jumps up and sends its vines at the Purrloin, who hisses and tries to claw at them as they hit it. Before it can get ahold of the vines, Snivy retracts them, shaking its head and muttering something at it. Whatever he said, it made the Purrloin mad, as it screeches at Snivy while Farfetch'd and I make our move.

"Farfetch'd, let's finish off Purrloin with another Air Cutter!" Farfetch'd flies above the cat and sends out another round of air blades at it while Snivy's vines retract, which it doesn't dodge due to being distracted by Snivy's apparent insult. The blades all hit it and send it flying back a few feet, crying out in pain as it hits the ground, out of commission. The Plasma woman growls and returns it to its Poké Ball.

"Come on, Nathan! Get that Patrat of yours to _fight!_" She yells at the man, who glares at her and then shouts back at her,

"I'm trying as hard as I can, Tiffany! Why don't you send out that Munna you just caught?"

"We can't get Dream Mist from it if it's all beaten up from battle!"

"Whatever! Patrat, use Bide and retaliate as soon as you get hit!" The Patrat stands its ground, but it doesn't look very strong right now. Since it tries to tackle whoever hits it, the best course of action would be to hit it from a distance.

"Vine Whip, Snivy!"

"Air Cutter, Farfetch'd!" The Patrat whimpers as both attacks hit it head-on, sending it rolling backwards into the Plasma man's legs. It's completely exhausted, and can't battle anymore. He recalls it and yells,

"Unbelievable! We shouldn't have lost! Forget this! Tiffany, let's go!" She nods and starts to run off, but Farfetch'd flies in front of them, cawing dangerously at them with his stalk in his feet. Now it's _my_ turn to make the demands.

"I don't think so, you Plasma goons. Give us that Munna first!"

"Why don't you _make me_?" Tiffany snarls, and Snivy seems glad to oblige, as it extends out its vines to take the Heal Ball out of her pocket.

"Vee! Snivy, Snivy!" It gives the ball to Bianca.

"Why, you puny little snake! I oughta—" Before she can continue, a sharp voice interrupts her.

"What are you two doing goofing off?" We all turn to see Big Robe standing against the wall. When did he get there? I didn't even see him at all during the battle. Was he hiding this whole time?

"Team Plasma does not take losses like common _thieves!_" Big Robe materializes in front of the opposite wall. What, is he some kind of psychic?

"If you two cannot understand that and do what you are supposed to…" The two images of him standing against the walls fade and another one materializes behind the goons. They look scared of him, as they're literally shaking in their boots. Tiffany starts muttering to Nathan,

"This… this isn't Ghetsis when he's trying to win people over…"

"This is Ghetsis when a plan fails, and is about to punish those responsible for it!" Nathan says, his voice shaking. The image of… Ghetsis, I guess is his name, shimmers as he points at the goons.

"…I demand you return and apologize for your failure in person!" The image of him immediately fades, and the Plasma goons flinch at his rebuke before running off, both yelling "Plasmaaaaa!"

Bianca looks at me, puzzled. I return Farfetch'd to his Poké Ball as she asks me,

"What just happened? That Ghetsis man popped up all over the place and then disappeared. He wasn't real, was he?" Just then, a large purple lump appears from behind the wall – Musharna. It floats over to Bianca and coos.

"Shaaarr…" It looks intently at the Heal Ball that Bianca's holding. Although we can't understand what it just said, Snivy does, and he pokes Bianca, pointing to the Musharna.

"Oh, I get it. This Munna must be your baby, huh? Were _you_ the one that created those illusions, Musharna?" The Musharna closes its eyes and nods. Bianca holds the button on the Heal Ball for ten seconds, which releases the Munna permanently from it.

"Is that Musharna?" I hear Fennel's voice behind us as she trots over to us. The Munna and Musharna don't seem to be afraid of her. Do they recognize her or something? The Musharna looks at Munna.

"Musha?" Munna looks at Bianca, who blinks innocently as the Munna tells its parent about her.

"Munii! Muuuun… Mu, Mun!" Musharna closes its eyes again and produces the mist Fennel was looking for from the pink spot on its head. The mist floats in front of us.

"Musharna. Shar." Its tone sounds approving, like it wants us to take the Dream Mist as thanks for saving Munna from Team Plasma. I pull out the vacuum from my bag and suck the mist up, and then give it to Fennel. She smiles and then waves at Musharna.

"Thank you, Musharna!" The Munna then prods its parent, speaking somewhat pleadingly.

"Sharna… Mu, Musharna." The large Pokémon then closes its eyes and glows blue, making Bianca glow blue as well. She looks at her hands and then at Musharna.

"What's happening?" Fennel carefully studies Musharna and then tells Bianca,

"It looks like Musharna is trying to psychically read you for some reason. Just stay calm." After a few seconds, the glow disappears from both Bianca and Musharna, and Musharna opens its eyes again.

"Shar! Mushii!" It says happily, which makes the Munna bounce up and down in the air with glee. It then floats into Bianca's arms, cooing at her. She looks back and forth between the two, confused.

"Huh? Munna? Musharna?" I smile as I finally understand what's going on.

"I think Munna wants to join you, Bianca. Musharna used its psychic powers on you to see if you were kind-hearted enough to take care of its baby, and it looks like you passed its test. Congratulations." Bianca blushes and then hugs Munna.

"Really, Munna? You want to come with me on my journey?"

"Mu!"

"And you're really okay with that, Musharna?"

"Musharna." Bianca then takes the Heal Ball that she was still holding in her hand and lightly taps Munna with it, taking it inside and only shaking once before clicking and chiming. She also recalls Snivy.

"Thank you so much, Musharna. I'll take very good care of Munna, I promise." Musharna nods at her, and then floats away behind the walls. Fennel claps in approval, and we all start walking out of the Dreamyard.

"By the way, I saw two strange people in knight costumes run by as I was coming over here. Did something happen?" Bianca then promptly tells her the entire story with the Team Plasma goons, speaking quickly and dramatically. Normally I'd find that cheesy and overblown, but for once, Bianca's right on the money. If all of Team Plasma is like those two goons we fought earlier, then they might actually be a threat later down the road. Then again, I don't know how large their organization is – for all I know, it's just Ghetsis and the eight or nine knights he had with him at Accumula Town. Two novice trainers from Nuvema Town beat two of their number without too much hassle, so they can't really be that much of a threat.

"Really? They were in Accumula Town yesterday, too? I haven't seen them around – I've been working in the lab pretty much all week." Fennel says as we all go through the hole in the concrete wall. The young woman who was leaning against the fence earlier notices Fennel and calls out her name.

"Hey, Jennifer!" Fennel leads us over to the young woman and starts talking to her.

"Oh, really? These two were the ones that sent those strangers packing, huh?" Jennifer looks at us, running a hand through her short, dark hair.

"Yep! I think they deserve a reward for it. Don't you?"

"They do. What are your names, you two? I'm Jennifer."

"Bianca."

"They call me Black." She chuckles at me.

"Black, huh? Fair enough. At least you're not like that N fellow that spent half an hour talking to me last night about how my career choice didn't make any sense. A strange guy, for sure, but Unova's host to all sorts of people. If you couldn't tell already, I'm a Pokémon breeder. I raise a special set of Pokémon that people like to call the 'elemental monkeys'. Heard of them?"

"Yeah. Don't the Striaton Gym Leaders use those?" Jennifer grins.

"Absolutely. What Pokémon did you start with, Black? Bianca?" We tell her. She nods and then opens a door in the fence.

"I'll be right back with your rewards, you two." Bianca adjusts her beret, fidgeting as we wait for Jennifer to return.

"What is she going to give us, Fennel?" She asks.

"A Pokémon that's guaranteed to help you in your Gym battle against the waiter brothers." Jennifer's voice comes from behind the door, as she returns and gives us each a Poké Ball with the image of a different elemental monkey on it. A Pansage sticker is on mine, and a Panpour sticker is on Bianca's.

"These two will help offset the type disadvantages that your starters have. Bianca, you can have Panpour defend Snivy from Chili's Pansear with its Water Gun. It should make obtaining the Trio Badge a lot easier for you." Bianca puts the Poké Ball into her bag.

"Thanks, Jennifer!"

"And the same goes for you, Black. Pansage's Vine Whip should make short work of Cress's Panpour. When are you planning to challenge the Gym?" I minimize the ball and attach it to my belt.

"Today, actually. After I get some lunch, that is." It's past noon already, as my Xtransceiver indicates, and I'm hungry.

"I see. Yeah, those waiter brothers/Gym Leaders don't really like me that much, because I tend to give away the elemental monkeys that beat them. Cress is the only one that likes me, and not just in a friendly manner, if you catch my drift. I mean, you two are the first ones to receive Pokémon from me in a whole month! It's not like I just give these guys away to each random passerby! Anyways. When you beat those guys today… tell Cress that I'm _not_ interested in going out with him. Ever." Since when did I become a messenger boy? Is it the bag, or what?

"Uh… sure. No problem." She's probably told Cress no a bunch of times and thinks that having some random kid beat him with a Pokémon she bred and _then_ tell him no would drive the point home. It makes me glad I'm not interested in dating right now. I can't imagine balancing training with having a girlfriend.

"Thanks. You'd be really doing me a favor. Anyways, I'll see you around, Fennel. I've got to get back to the yard and see how the Pokémon are doing. Later!" Jennifer goes back behind the fence and closes the door, and Fennel leads us back to her apartment building.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't give you a fancy reward like Jennifer, but here. I think this is better than nothing, right?" She reaches into her lab coat pocket and gives us each a 2000 Poké Dollar bill.

"Thanks!" Bianca places the bill in her pocket rather than in her bag.

"Looks like I've got money for food for the next week or so. Thanks, Fennel." I place the bill in my wallet.

"See you around!" She goes back into the apartment building and then Bianca turns to me and says,

"Well, why don't we go to the Pokémon Center and then have lunch together? Then you can go to the Gym and I can go see the rest of Striaton City. They have to have some decent shops around here!"

"Sounds good." As we walk towards the Center, I think of Cheren and White. Where are they right now? What are they doing? Have they had any confrontations with Team Plasma yet? In White's case, is she getting herself into trouble with wild Pokémon again? I guess I'll call the both of them later on today and see what's up. But for now… it's time to chill before taking on the Striaton Gym.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks to the Red King for the second review!**

**The chapters seem to be getting progressively longer, which I'll try to keep a lid on so that you're not reading too much in one sitting. I always thought the girl giving away Pansage/Pansear/Panpour did so for almost no reason other than to help you win the Gym battle, so I thought it made more sense to receive the monkey as a reward for fending off Team Plasma (and to have her be a breeder of said monkeys). Also, I always thought that the Plasma grunts were too weak, so they'll get harder as the story goes on. **


	7. Chapter 7: Lunch at the Striaton Gym

**Chapter 7: Lunch at the Striaton Gym**

"So, where do you want to eat, Bianca? I'm up for pretty much anything that isn't insanely expensive." Bianca looks at a tourist pamphlet she picked up from the Pokémon Center.

"Oh! Huh, I didn't know they could do that!"

"What?" I look over and try to see what it is she's looking at on the pamphlet. She points to a picture of the huge, grandiose building with the Poké Ball on it and reads the caption underneath it out loud.

"We serve only the finest battles and the finest food at the Striaton Gym and Restaurant Extraordinaire. Dine in comfort and luxury as the best chefs in Unova prepare dishes suitable to anyone's liking! After your meal, why not challenge the Gym Leaders at no extra cost? Open seven days a week, 8 AM – 10 PM. Formal attire not required." Since when did a Pokémon League Gym also function as a fancy restaurant? I'm with Bianca. I didn't know Gym Leaders _could_ do that. I guess since it's their Gym, they can do whatever they want with it as long as they're able to take challengers and give out Badges.

"Ooh, why don't we eat here? I mean, you can just have your Gym battle right after we eat!"

"I don't know, Bianca… it looks like the most expensive place in town. I mean, for that kind of convenience, it can't be cheap." She wrinkles her nose at me and lightly punches me in the shoulder.

"Aw, come on, Black! Live a little! We're not in Nuvema Town anymore. We don't have our parents watching over us like a pair of _paranoid_ _Unfezant!_" She says that last part a little too enthusiastically.

"It's only for lunch, anyways! What's one classy meal going to hurt us? Besides, Fennel gave us both a lot of money. We'll be fine!" I sigh. Yeah, why not?

"Alright, fine. We'll go eat at the Striaton Gym and Restaurant _Extraordinaire._" I snicker at the fancy spelling. Bianca puts the pamphlet back in her bag and we walk to the Gym, which is practically next to the Pokémon Center. Yeah, talk about convenient. I don't know how crowded it gets, but since it's the middle of the lunch rush, it's probably bound to be full of people. Bianca and I walk up the steps past some fancy-looking statues and go through the big, wooden double doors. There's so much restaurant in there, I don't know where they make space for the battlefield! It looks about three-quarters of the way full, but at least there isn't a line at the front.

"Welcome to the Striaton Gym and Restaurant Extraordinaire! Would you like a Gym battle, a meal, or both?" A waiter not much older than me with fiery red hair asks us with a voice filled with enthusiasm. He's wearing a small earpiece – probably to manage all the people in the restaurant. I'm starting to think that Unova is the region of the people with weird hair. Do other regions have so many people with off-colored or weirdly-shaped hair?

"Uh, I'll have both, but my friend here just wants a meal." He looks through papers attached to a clipboard and then writes something down.

"Alright! One Gym battle and two of the finest meals in Unova! Got it!" He turns around and mutters into the microphone attached to his collar,

"Hey, Cilan! We got a couple of live ones in the foyer! Get over here!" Another waiter with _green hair_ walks over here from the main area and then bows to us.

"Hello. My name is Cilan, and I will be your waiter this afternoon. Please, follow me." Unlike the red-haired waiter, he speaks calmly and professionally. We follow him to a table next to the kitchen doors, which has all sorts of good smells coming from it. After sitting down, he gives us a pair of menus, and then pulls a notepad and pen from his apron.

"Okay. What can I get you two to drink?"

"Do you have Corsola Cola?" I ask.

"Yes, we do. Is that what you would like to drink?"

"Sure do. Bianca, what do you want?" She looks over the large list of drinks pretty hard.

"Hmm, let me have the Oran Berry Juice." Cilan writes the orders down and then asks us,

"Do you know what you would like to eat?"

"No, not yet." We tell him, and then he bows again.

"No problem. I'll give you some more time to decide. Your drinks will be here in just a moment." He leaves, waiting on other people. I look at the menu and see that it's got a good variety of stuff: burgers, chicken, salads, seafood, and dishes from regions all over the world, including some I've never even heard of. I wonder where the Orre region is.

"Have any idea what you want to eat, Bianca?" She puts the menu on the table and scans it again.

"Not yet. There sure are a lot of interesting dishes, though!" I look around the restaurant and notice that many of the people directly around us are girls around our age. There are people of all ages eating here, yeah, but it seems like Cilan sat us down near a bunch of chattery, gossipy girls wearing preppy clothing. My ears pick up a lot of random phrases, like these:

"Oh, have you seen what he's done with his _hair_ lately?"

"She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Can't wait to see them battle again…"  
>"I don't know. Today's been pretty slow, I guess."<p>

"Did you see that _green beret_ she has on? I wonder where she got it…"

"I know! His Pansear smoked that girl's Duosion!"

"Here are your drinks!" That's Cilan again, serving us our drinks. Bianca and I tell him our orders.

"Hey, Cilan. When can I have my Gym battle?" I ask him as he takes the menus from us. He gives me a friendly smile.

"As soon as you're done eating, just let Chili know and we'll get started. He's the one you met at the front of the restaurant. We all look forward to battling you!" We? Cilan's one of the Gym Leaders? Just then, another waiter with slick, blue hair that covers one of his eyes walks by Cilan.

"It seems the _customer_ at Table 11 isn't quite satisfied with the meal. Would you mind talking to him?" He speaks into Cilan's ear, obviously trying to hold back his frustration. Cilan sighs.

"Sure, Cress. Here, could you take this order to the kitchen?"

"Of course." So _that's _Cress, huh? He kinda does look like the schmoozing type. It's none of my business to speculate what went on between him and Jennifer. Actually, I don't really care. He's one of the Gym Leaders, and my primary concern with him is beating his Panpour with my Pansage.

"Your meal will be out shortly. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Cilan walks over towards wherever Table 11 is, where an upset rich boy is crossing his arms and pouting. Glad I don't have _this job!_ At least you can fend off wild Pokémon with a couple of good attacks. You can't exactly command your Pokémon to use Flamethrower on annoying customers.

(half an hour later)

It really seems like Bianca and I got here on the tail end of the lunch rush. There had to have been at least fifty or sixty people in the restaurant when we got here, but now it's dwindled down to about fifteen or twenty. Strangely enough, most of them are those gossipy girls from earlier. Even after eating, they've stayed around, talking and talking and _talking._

"Hey, B. Let me ask you something." Bianca looks up from texting on her Xtransceiver.

"How is it that girls can talk for so long about such… I don't know, silly things?" She frowns and then looks around at all the girls.

"I haven't really been _eavesdropping_ like you, Black, so I don't know what it is they've been talking about. But girls just really like to talk. I mean, what about White and me? We talk all the time! I'm texting her right now."

"It's not the same, though. You're my friend, and White's my sister. You two don't talk for hours about Gym Leaders." After listening to their chatter for over half an hour, I think these girls must be big, big fans of Chili, Cilan, and Cress. Most of the things they've said are about them, which is how I know that Chili is the oldest of the triplets that these Gym Leaders happen to be.

"So? It's interesting to them."

"But really? How much can one possibly say about three waiter brothers?"

"Black, I don't think you get it. Maybe I'll ask White to explain it to you some other time. Besides, don't you have better things to do right now?" Let this be another reason why I will never understand girls. Bianca's right, though. I came here to have a Gym battle, and that's exactly what I'm going to get right now. I get out of the chair and slide it in, while Bianca does the same without taking her eyes off the Xtransceiver. We both walk back to the front of the restaurant, where Chili is busy playing on a Nintendo 3DS since there haven't been any customers in a while.

He notices us and closes the 3DS, putting it back in the podium that he stands behind.

"What's up, guys? Are you ready for that Gym battle now?"

"You bet. Where's the battlefield around here? Is it out back, or something?" Chili grins and then speaks into his microphone.

"Cilan, Cress, we've got a challenger ready for battle! Get over here! Oh yeah, someone needs to come up here and take my place while we battle him." His expression suddenly changes from excited to upset, his grin fading. He pulls the microphone very close to his mouth and says into it,

"What? What do you mean, the Shuckle got out? It's a Shuckle! Shuckle can't run! Dang it! Must be Cress's Panpour pulling one of his pranks again. Yeah, I'll be right there." He turns to me and says,

"Sorry. I have to take care of this. Just wait here. I'll be right back." He runs towards the kitchen and practically flies through the doors. After an awkward moment of silence, I say to Bianca,

"So, Bianca… are you going to watch my Gym battle?"

"Of course, Black! I didn't get to see Cheren's, so I _definitely_ want to see yours!" A middle-aged man wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt with the stylized Poké Ball logo on the front of the Gym approaches me. Even though we're inside, he's wearing sunglasses.

"So you're the next challenger, huh? Hello! I'm Clyde. A long, long time ago, I used to be a Pokémon trainer just like you. But now all the Pokémon I raised belong to my seven kids, who live in different places throughout the Unova region. I'm a regular here, and I always like to talk to the challengers before they go up against the Gym Leaders." Is he a counselor or something?

"Triple battles require your utmost attention. You've got to watch every move your opponent's Pokémon make, and prioritize your moves based on what you think needs to be done first. Don't just attack without thinking. Plan a strategy and stick to it. These guys here like to trip challengers up with their teamwork, so make sure your Pokémon stick together!" Counselor, for sure, and coach to boot. I can believe he has seven kids – his tone is encouraging and clear; I imagine raising seven kids would really help a guy out in the pep talk department. Clyde goes over to the podium and reaches for something at the bottom of it, pulling out a bottle of water with an Audino on the label.

"Catch!" He tosses it to me and I catch it. The Audino on the label winks at me, and the words "Dino's Healing Water" are written below it.

"It's a special kind of water treated with Heal Pulses from the Audino that Nurse Joys use. You can give it to your Pokémon to heal their wounds or give them some extra energy. You can even drink it yourself –it tastes very sweet, and it'll definitely give you a boost. You might want to give your team some before they go into battle." I've never even heard of this water before. But if it really does what Clyde says it does, then I ought to have my Pokémon drink some before the battle.

"That Panpour needs to go to obedience school." Chili loudly mutters as he returns from the kitchen. After letting out a heavy breath, he puts on his big grin and says to us,

"Right this way, folks!" Clyde nods to me, lowering his sunglasses so that I can see his gray eyes.

"Good luck, kid. I know you'll do great."

Chili leads us to the back of the restaurant, where a door in the corner with the same stylized Poke Ball logo waits. He pulls out a set of keys and inserts the one with a flame on the back inside, opening it to reveal a huge, flat battlefield, all polished and ready to go. Chili points out a small staircase right beside us.

"Bianca, you can go up the stairs and watch Black from our awesome viewing balcony." She thanks him and then goes up the stairs, while I go and take my place on the closer side of the battlefield.

"You know the rules of our Gym, right? It's gonna be a triple threat from the Striaton Gym Leaders!" Chili says from across the battlefield.

"Yeah, I know all about it." Cilan and Cress enter from a door on the opposite side, but then all the gossipy girls from earlier pour in right behind them, charging like a herd of Bouffalant up the stairs. Great. They must be like some sort of cheerleading squad for these guys. Whatever. My focus should be on the battle, not them. Which reminds me – I let out my team and retrieve the bottle of water that Clyde gave me.

"Guys, come over here. Drink some of this." I let Tepig drink from the bottle, then Farfetch'd, and then Pansage. They all seem to like it, and start chattering away.

"Hey! Are you ready?" Chili shouts.

"Yeah!" He nods to another one of the waiters from the restaurant that had walked in with Cilan and Cress. He moves to the middle of the battlefield.

"This will be a triple battle between the challenger, Black, and the Gym Leaders Chili, Cilan, and Cress! Only a maximum of three Pokemon will be used by either side!" Here it goes. My first real Gym battle. I introduced Pansage to Tepig and Farfetch'd when I was at the Pokemon Center, and they seemed to have gotten along pretty well. Now is the time to test the bond between them, between me and my Pokemon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This largely feels like filler to me, but at least it sets up the beginning of the next chapter, which will be all about the Gym battle. It also works well with my preference for shorter chapters, so there we go! In the game, the Gym would actually **_**be**_** a restaurant, instead of only being themed like one, with a bunch people to talk to and the actual Gym facilities in the back. Not much would change from B/W with regards to the battling portion of the Gym, besides the obvious triple battle. **


	8. Chapter 8: The Triple Threat Tussle

**Chapter 8: The Triple Threat Tussle**

"Begin!" The referee yells, and Chili, Cilan, and Cress send out their Pokémon. Just as everyone said, they're the three elemental monkeys. Let's do this.

"Tepig, use Ember on Cilan's Pansage! Farfetch'd, you use Air Cutter on the same Pansage, too! Pansage, you run around them and use Vine Whip on Panpour!" I've got to use the type advantages as much as possible. Tepig's directly facing Cilan's Pansage, and so just lets out the Ember. Farfetch'd flies above Tepig and starts flapping his wings, while Pansage goes behind Tepig and starts moving towards Panpour.

"Dodge, and then use Work Up!" Cilan calls out, and his Pansage rolls to the side and starts flexing, creating an orange aura around it. Both Tepig's and Farfetch'd's attacks miss.

"Panpour, move away from his Pansage and use Water Gun on that Tepig!" Cress says, and the Panpour leaps to where Pansage was standing and fires a stream of water at Tepig.

"Pansear, you use Work Up, too! Let's go, let's go!" Chili yells, incredibly excited. Pansear starts flexing like Pansage, the same orange aura surrounding it as it does so.

"Yay, Pansear! Goooo, Pansear! Go, Chili!" The cheerleaders bellow from the balcony.

"Tepig, dodge! Pansage, keep going after Panpour! Farfetch'd, fly behind our Pansage!" I'm hoping to let my Pansage cover Farfetch'd as he goes for Cilan's Pansage. Tepig barely manages to jump out of the way in time, but leaps to the right instead of to the left, which puts him farther away from the others. My Pansage continues to run for Panpour and unleashes his Vine Whip when he gets close enough, which manages to hit the water monkey right in the face, knocking it down. Farfetch'd flies over them and aims for Cilan's Pansage.

"Okay, Pansage! Use Fury Swipes on that Farfetch'd coming at you!" Dang it! He saw what I was going to do.

"Pansear, let that monkey of his have some of your Incinerate!" Pansear shouts a battle cry before releasing a huge torrent of flame from its mouth. Having heard Chili's command, Panpour rolls backwards to get out of the way of the attack.

"Pansage, watch out!" My Pansage tries to jump out of the line of fire, but the torrent of flame Pansear released is huge, and gets completely engulfed by the flame. He stumbles out of it, coughing up smoke, but otherwise still able to battle. Cilan's Pansage jumps and rakes Farfetch'd in the face, sending him to the ground and making the cheerleaders go wild with their cheering. This isn't going well. I've only managed to get one hit in, while the Gym Leaders have managed to power up and get two good hits on my Pokémon. I have to think of a way to split those monkeys up – they're too much trouble when they're together.

"Tepig, hit Pansear with Tackle! Farfetch'd, go up to Cilan's Pansage and use Peck! Pansage, start chasing Panpour away from the others!"

"Not quite! Panpour, use Fury Swipes on his Pansage!" Cress commands, smiling and pointing at my Pansage.

"You dodge that and use Lick on Panpour, then!" I call out to my Pansage. While that's going on, Tepig charges for Pansear, going as fast as he can. Farfetch'd gets up and uses his stalk to boost himself towards Cilan's Pansage. Since they're very close to each other, Farfetch'd's attack connects, knocking Cilan's Pansage onto the ground.

"Pansear, get out of Tepig's way and go help Panpour!" Because of the distance Tepig had to cover in order to reach it, Pansear was more than ready to dodge Tepig, who slides to a stop. The fire monkey runs over to where my Pansage has just grazed Panpour with his tongue, turning that water monkey's mischievous smile upside-down as it shudders, its fur standing on end. Nice! Lick managed to paralyze that dumb Panpour.

"Panpour, snap out of it! Use Lick right back!" Cress says, but all his Panpour can do is look at him helplessly. Chili jumps in the air and yells,

"That's it! Pansear, let him have it! Incinerate!" Pansear unleashes another huge torrent of flame, which neither my Pansage nor Cress's Panpour are able to dodge. After the flame passes through them, they both land on top of each other, out of commission. The referee waves his arms outward and shouts,

"The challenger's Pansage and Cress's Panpour are both unable to battle!" We both return our Pokémon. Cress closes his visible eye and then gives Chili a mean look before stepping to the side of the battlefield. The cheerleaders groan in frustration at seeing both Cress and Panpour being taken out of the fight, which makes me laugh a little bit. Chili isn't fazed by any of it and merely says,

"Sorry! Okay, Pansear! Go for Farfetch'd next! Fury Swipes!" Chili must have really have wanted my Pansage to go down if he thought it was worth taking out his own teammate. Meanwhile, Cilan's Pansage and Farfetch'd are circling each other, waiting for each other to make a move.

"Farfetch'd, get flying! Use Air Cutter on whoever looks easier to hit!" Farfetch'd squawks and starts flying, Pansear's attack missing. Cilan's Pansage carefully watches Farfetch'd. The bird sends blades of air flying at both of the monkeys; Pansage jumps out of the way while Pansear takes a hit.

"Pansear, go for another Incinerate!"

"Pansage, use Work Up!"

"Tepig, Ember on Pansage!" Pansear breathes another big torrent of flame at Farfetch'd, but since Farfetch'd is faster in the air than on the ground, he dodges the thing without so much as one singed feather. While Cilan's Pansage is charging up, Tepig fires his attack at it.

"Dodge, Pansage!" The grass monkey moves right before Ember connects, but it still gets partially razed by it. It's looking pretty weak right now, so I should finish it off before it does any real damage.

"Farfetch'd, use Air Cutter on Pansage! Tepig, use Ember on it too!"

"Pansear, attack Tepig with Lick! Go, go!" Pansage tries to get out of the way of the two super-effective attacks, but everyone watching knows it's futile for the grass monkey to try. It gets blasted by Air Cutter and smoked by Ember, and falls to the ground. As Pansear goes for Tepig, he notices the fire monkey's tongue about to smack him and jumps backwards, evading the attack.

"Pansage is unable to battle!" The referee calls, and Cilan returns Pansage to its Poké Ball. Unlike his brother, Cilan merely smiles and quietly says something to the Poké Ball. I can't hear whatever it is he said, as he's too far away and the cheerleaders groan again from having seen Pansage get taken out of the battle.

"Come on, Black! You've got him on the ropes now! Get that Trio Badge!" Bianca shouts over the cheerleaders, which makes me smile. Now it's two against one, and that Pansear will_ not_ be able to stand up to repeated double attacks.

"Oh, you think you've got this in the bag, huh? It's not over yet! Pansear, time to step up our game! Work Up! Come on!" Chili thrusts his fist in the air, grinning like he's got the upper hand in the battle. Pansear seems to copy the energy his trainer has, and clenches its fists tightly, its orange aura being brighter than before. Whatever. I don't care how powerful it makes itself; it won't make a difference if it can't hit.

"Farfetch'd, let's do this! Fury Attack! Tepig, Tackle Pansear as hard as you can!" Farfetch'd charges towards Pansear from its left, and Tepig charges it from its right.

"Not this time! Pansear, use Incinerate while spinning around! No holding back!" As soon as both of my Pokémon get within a foot of that monkey, it spins around while releasing the biggest torrent of flame I'd ever seen in person, which smacks Farfetch'd out of the sky and brings him down. Since Tepig is also a Fire-type, the spinning Incinerate just manages to stop his attack, spinning him backwards.

"Farfetch'd is unable to battle!" What? For a moment I don't believe the ref, but a closer look at Farfetch'd proves him right. He's completely down for the count, mumbling something in a daze. Chili wasn't kidding when he told that Pansear to use its full strength. I should be _worried_ that I'm down to my last Pokémon, but for some reason, I'm not. I'm actually getting really excited about this, like Chili. I mean, it's one-on-one now! This determines everything!

"You did well, Farfetch'd. Tepig will win this battle for us." I say to Farfetch'd when I recall him. Ignoring the cheers of the gossipy girls upstairs, I toss my hat to the ground.

"This is where I win, Chili! Tepig, Tackle that monkey into next week!" Tepig picks up on my determination and charges at Pansear, but this time, fire comes out of his nostrils, surrounding him as he goes for the monkey. This makes his movement faster than I've ever seen it, and Pansear is unable to dodge Tepig's newfound speed. The attack hits and sends Pansear flying back a few feet, damaged, but not out of the fight yet.

"Flame Charge? Whatever! Pansear, use Fury Swipes!" Is that the name of the attack Tepig just used? It sure sounds like it!

"Don't give it another chance! Tepig, use Flame Charge!" Tepig nods and then starts sprinting at Pansear, covered in flames. Pansear readies its arm to try and stop it, but Tepig just mows it down, sending it into the wall of the battlefield. After it falls, it struggles to stand up.

"Come on, Pansear! You're still in this! Don't give up!" The fire monkey uses the wall as a crutch to stand up, panting heavily from two consecutive hits. Tepig looks tired, too, but he's definitely got more energy left than Pansear. Chili runs over to the side of the battlefield, shouting,

"We don't go down that easily! Pansear, you let that Tepig have your most powerful Incinerate yet! Forget typing!" The Pansear stands there, shaking as its body begins to glow red.

"One more time! Tepig, Flame Charge! Don't stop for anything!" Chili's right. Forget typing. It's time to finish this match.

Tepig charges for Pansear, cloaked in flames. As soon as he gets close enough, Pansear releases all the fire it had been building up, and Tepig bursts through the flames and crashes into it, causing a huge cloud of black smoke to burst from the impact of both of them hitting the wall.

"Come on, Pansear! You can do it! You can do it!" The cheerleaders shout. When the smoke clears, Pansear's eyes are glazed over, finally defeated. Tepig barely stands, his legs shaking like they've about to give out. However, they don't. They don't give out, and Tepig manages to stay standing.

"Pansear is unable to battle! The winner is the challenger, Black!" The cheerleaders wail, and then start going down the stairs, as does Bianca. Chili returns Pansear and gives its Poké Ball a bittersweet look.

"You gave it your all, and I can't ask for anything else. Good job." I fetch my hat, and then walk over to Tepig and grin, rubbing his forehead like I did when first met him. He lays down on the ground, saying things to me in a tired, yet happy voice.

"See? You did it, Tepig. You came through for all of us and won the battle. That makes you amazing, even more amazing than you were when we first met." He prods my hand with his snout. It's very warm, and the touch is smooth and pleasant. I close my eyes and let out a deep breath, absorbing the moment.

"We've got what it takes to become Champions. Just you wait. Now, come on. Have some down time. You've earned every minute of it." I return him to his Poké Ball and stand back up, where I see the cheerleaders mumbling as they leave the battlefield. Bianca comes running over to me and hugs me, which makes me laugh. I see the Gym Leaders in the background each giving us a different expression: Cilan's just leaning against the wall with a cool smile, Cress is looking at Panpour's Poké Ball with a disappointed expression, and Chili looks beat, but happy.

"Thanks, Bianca." She lets go of me and Chili walks up to us.

"What'd you think? Do we live up to our reputation, or what?" He asks, one of his hands in his pocket. Bianca claps, nodding her head.

"Absolutely! Great food, and an even greater battle! Don't you think so too, Black?"

"Yeah. No kidding. So, I never actually got the bill for that meal. Do I have to pay you now, or what?"

"You beat us fair and square, Black. Whatever money we would've given you covers both you and your friend's meals. Don't worry about it! Here…" He pulls his hand out of his pocket and shows me the Trio Badge, which glistens under the fluorescent lights of the battlefield.

"I think this belongs to you. Take it." I take the Trio Badge from his hand and hold it up to the light, where it shines even brighter.

"Awesome." I pull out the badge case from my bag and put the badge in there. One down… seven more to go. We've got a _long_ way to go. But that's alright. Today, we're winners. I just want to focus on that.

"This is yours, too." He hands me a TM with a clear backing. It reads "TM83: Work Up".

"It's the move our Pokémon used to pump themselves up! See if it doesn't help _you _in future battles!" Cool. It looks like we're ready to leave. Which reminds me…

"Hey, Chili. Thanks for the awesome battle. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to deliver a message…" I walk past him and stop in front of Cress.

"Yes? Is there something you wanted to tell me?" He mutters. The guy looks pretty bummed, but it's not like my news is going to kill him.

"Yeah, actually. I have a message for you from Jennifer right outside town. She told me to tell you to _never_ ask her out again. Ever." I try and mimic Jennifer's voice with the last bit, but it comes out sounding weird. Cress's visible eye opens widely, and then he sighs, closing it. He falls back against the wall and crosses his arms, shaking his head so that his slicked hair bobs.

"Fine. Tell her I understand."

"I'm not doing that one for you. Sorry. I've got to get to the Pokémon Center and heal my team up. Come on, Bianca. Let's go." He opens his eye again and watches us leave. Cilan stands up straight and bows to us as we leave.

"It was a great honor to battle with you. I hope we can do it again someday!" Courteous as always, that Cilan. I bet he'd have a lot more to offer the ladies than Cress. White likes real nice guys, the chivalrous gentleman type. She occasionally tells me about how some character on TV is 'so righteous, it's heart-melting'… and when I hear that, I just facepalm.

"Bye!" Bianca waves to the Gym Leaders as we leave the battlefield. When we come to the entrance of the restaurant, Clyde approaches me, his hands folded.

"So? How'd it go?" He asks. I pull out the Trio Badge and show it to his face.

"Does _this_ answer your question?" He lowers his sunglasses and examines it.

"Hey, there we go! I knew you could do it, Black! Awesome! Tell me about it." I just realize that Clyde wasn't there to see the battle. I wonder why not? He seemed so excited about it. Anyways, I tell him about the battle, him soaking up every detail and asking questions whenever possible. After we're done talking, he shakes my hand vigorously, putting his other hand on my shoulder.

"Well, I'll see you around, Black. Good luck on beating the rest of the Gym Leaders! Oh, wait. I know. Why not exchange Xtransceiver numbers? That way, you can tell me all about your victories." We make the exchange. Turns out he's 55, but he doesn't really seem that old. It has to be because of his spirit – it's like he's still a 15-year-old trainer, or something. His profile also tells me he once challenged the Unova League himself! That's pretty cool.

"Alright. I'll call you sometime! See you later, Clyde!" Bianca and I leave the restaurant. She looks at me and says,

"Black, I know you have to go to the Center, but I really want to see the shops in Striaton. I still have to look and see if they've got any cute clothes! We'll meet up later, okay? Bye!" And there she goes, dashing off in a way only _she_ can. I'm curious to see how well she's trained her Pokémon. Would she have been able to beat the Striaton Gym Leaders? Is that even what she wants? Heck, I don't know. I'll find out later. It's time to hit the Pokémon Center and chill for the rest of the day. I've already had plenty of excitement.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Not true, Black, not true… your excitement quota for the day isn't even close to being filled. Ha ha. Yes, there will actually be rival battles next chapter! In the game, the Gym Leader that had the last Pokémon you defeated will give you the Trio Badge. The bit with Cress probably wouldn't happen, but that would be funny if it did, huh? Lol. **

**You know the drill. Read it. Review it. Be happy. Respect the sporks. Um, yeah.**


	9. Chapter 8X: 3:15 AM

**Chapter 8X: 3:15 AM**

The figures slink through the bushes surrounding the targets, their bodies sliding to and fro with an agility almost inhuman. Their steps are soundless, and their breathing in tune with the ambiance of the creatures residing in the forest. As they reach their destination, they crouch and peer through the bushes with a sight only known by those who can see into darkness.

"This is it." One of them speaks, its whispering voice so soft it almost seems nonexistent.

"The Master requires their greatest treasures." Another one speaks, with the same whisper.

"Do we take them?" A third asks. It twirls a tiny blade in its fingers, a blade so small and thin, it seems like it is part of the figure's skin.

"The Master did not order it. He only commanded us to scope, not steal." The figures nod and then move, their command of the shadows so adept. In seconds, they are closer to the targets than ever before, and not a soul knows of their presence. Although there is no light illuminating the targets, the figures are easily able to discern their shapes: smooth, unassuming, small, yet filled with unspeakable power. If only the fools keeping them knew of their significance, perhaps they would have not made it so easy for the figures of shadow to approach.

"It will be simple." One of the figures whispers, looking around at the area that contains the treasures. Other antiquities surround it, worth something in their own rights, but are nothing compared to the treasures that their Master desires.

"It will not fail." Another one says, and moves even closer to the treasures. It would be an effortless act to simply take them and leave, but that would be going against the Master's orders.

They _never_ went against the Master's orders.

Not after what the Master had done for _them._

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?" A chilling voice rumbles from the doorway. The figure that had been hunched over in front of a computer screen for the last few hours groans in disgust and turns to face the intruder.<p>

"Why are you in my room?" The figure mutters, looking for an object to hurl at the intruder. Pens, pencils, a Xtransceiver, no… none of that would do it. The intruder leans against the frame and growls.

"I thought we told you to stop messing around in stupid pursuits. You're never going to get ahead in life if you devote yourself to useless research like that, _Seymour._" The figure immediately grabs the ceramic mug full of pens and throws it at the intruder, which shatters against its head and scatters pens all over the floor. The intruder stumbles backwards and then clenches its fists.

"Get out!" The intruder punches the wall next to the door and shouts,

"Why don't _you_ get out, Seymour? Do all us a favor - leave, and never come back!" Seymour turns back to the computer and huffs. Just one Pokémon. That's all that would be necessary to do just that. If Seymour had one right now, it would be a Poison-type knowing Toxic. All it would have taken to silence the intruder would be one blast. It wouldn't be life-threatening, but it would put him in serious pain and send the message to his colleagues that _Seymour_ was not to be trifled with.

"Not going to say anything, huh? Fine! I can't legally throw you out, but let me tell you something… if you don't stop acting like such a maniac, I'll make your life such a nightmare that you'll be _forced_ to leave. Got it?" Seymour types on the computer, sorting important files into folders.

"I think it's about time I left, anyway. My talents are already better appreciated by people far more open-minded than you." The man in the doorway slams the door and walks away, leaving Seymour alone with the computer and the broken mug. Leaving sounded like the best option at this point, if it weren't for the matter of not having a Pokémon for protection through Unova. The thought of calling an associate for help came to mind, but Seymour wasn't sure if someone would be so readily willing to just give out a Pokémon.

What else could be done, though? Catching a wild Pokémon was difficult enough for those who already had Pokémon – trying to do it without one was a task Seymour didn't possess the skills to accomplish.

"Guess it's what I have to do if I want to find respect." Seymour fetches the Xtransceiver lying next to the computer screen and dials a number. Hopefully the associate would have a spare Pokémon that could be transferred as soon as possible. Then, maybe the disrespected, underestimated researcher could find a place and people that appreciated an inquisitive mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks to Daioh Arashi for the review! One of these extra chapters will be posted after a badge is obtained. **


	10. Chapter 9: Park Rivalries

**Chapter 9: Park Rivalries**

(2:00 PM)

"So, you beat the Striaton Gym and got the Trio Badge? Awesome!" I'm currently talking to White on the Xtransceiver from the currently crowded Pokémon Center. My Pokémon are also eating, as they kind of didn't get a proper meal earlier. White's chilling on Route 2, enjoying the scenery with Burnetta and her other three Pokémon, Peace the Pidove, Sly the Purrloin, and Rose the Audino. She had just caught Rose today, after finding her hiding in some bushes. She said it was her easiest catch so far, as Rose didn't put up much of a fight.

"Yeah, it is. I was down to just Tepig against Chili's Pansear, and he learned Flame Charge just in time to win the battle. It was amazing, White. I wish you could've seen it. So, is your sightseeing going well?" She munches on an energy bar. I can hear her Pokémon talking in the background, which is saying something because the background noise around here is kinda loud.

"Uh huh! But I'll be honest… I'm looking forward to arriving in Striaton City. The Routes get boring real quick once you've seen all their interesting features. Bianca tells me there are a lot of good clothing outlets over there. Did she drag you along with her, or what?" I snicker. My Pokémon look up at me for a second, but then return to their food.

"Yeah, right. I'd just drag her down. The moment we left the Gym, she went to go find some place to shop. Hey, have you spoken to Cheren at all today?" A curly tendril pokes White's cheek, and Rose edges herself onto the screen.

"Rose, I'm talking to my brother right now. Say hi, Rose!" The Audino smiles at me and waves, greeting me with its high, friendly voice.

"Okay, Rose. Go play with Burnetta. I've got to keep on talking to Black." Rose leaves.

"No, I haven't. Have you?"

"Nope. I wonder where he's at right now. According to Bianca, he already beat the Gym, so he may have already left Striaton City. Let me add him to the conversation." As I start tapping his number in, the Center doors open and he walks in, looking bored.

"Well, speak of the geek. He just walked in. Hold on. Cheren!" I call out to him. His bored expression disappears when he sees me, and he sits down across from me.

"Hey, Black. How are you doing?" I twist my wrist so that the camera on the Xtransceiver faces him.

"Oh, I'm fine. Here's White!"

"Hi, Cheren! What's up?" Cheren looks at one of the windows in the Center, which shows the entrance to the Gym.

"I just got back from the Trainers' School down the street. Other than the Gym, that's been the most interesting place I've been to in this city. I've been walking around all day, trying to find something else to satiate my boredom. There are a couple of good bookstores and a decent arcade, but I've already been to all of those places. I was just about to pick up some items and leave for Nacrene City when Black called me over here."

"You haven't even been there one day and you're already planning to leave, Cheren?" He adjusts his glasses and looks at White on the display screen.

"Well, I've done all I can here. Route 3 isn't that long - even accounting for a couple of trainer battles and wild Pokémon encounters, I should be in Nacrene City before 5:00 if I leave by 2:30. I'd stay the night in the Pokémon Center over there and challenge the Gym the next morning."

"It sounds like you want to be able to challenge the Unova League by the end of next week! I don't think it's going to happen that quickly, Cheren. I mean, Unova is so much more than just a hit-list of Gyms!"

"I told you I saw some bookstores and an arcade earlier, right?" He slightly narrows his eyes at her, his tone becoming a little more impatient.

"Yeah, but it seems like you're just tacking that on there to make it seem like you're actually stopping to relax and have some fun! Part of our journey involves fun, you know."

"I have _fun, _White. It's just not the kind that _you're_ having." Well, wasn't _that_ a chipper tone he just used right there. I think he's starting to lose his patience with her, so I turn the Xtransceiver screen towards me again.

"Alright, guys. Let's not start ragging on each other's way of doing things. White, I'm sure Cheren and his Pokémon are both just fine doing things their way. Cheren, I don't know what you _do_ every hour of the day, but White still has a point – this journey isn't solely about battling people and winning Gym Badges. Anyways. My Xtransceiver's battery is going into the danger zone, so I need to charge it. White, you take care of yourself, alright? We'll talk later." She looks at the upper-left corner as if she could still see Cheren. She sighs and then pushes Rose's curly ear off of the screen.

"Yeah. I will. See you later, Black!" The Audino edges herself onto the display right as it cuts off, which makes me snicker. Cheren slouches, looking bored again.

"What was funny, Black?" I snicker again as put my elbows on the table.

"Just White's Audino, Rose. Apparently she likes to hog the camera."

"So White caught an Audino, huh? How many Pokémon is that for her?"

"Four. I've only got three, which I used to win the Trio Badge earlier today." Cheren breaks out into a huge smile and sits up straight. I know that look. He always gets that look before telling one of us about something that really excites him, whether it's Sharpedo Week on the Pokéscovery Channel or the next cutting-edge game for the 3DS or the Wii U.

"What?"

"You have the Trio Badge?"

"Uh, yeah. I just said that." He pushes his glasses closer to his face and then stands up, which gets the attention of my Pokémon, who are now done with their meal.

"Then let's have a battle. Right now. I want to see which of us is stronger." I look to my Pokémon, who are now eagerly talking to themselves about it.

"You guys up are raring to go, huh?" Farfetch'd salutes me, and then stands up straight with his stalk at the ready in his wing. Pansage slams his fists together and grunts, while Tepig oinks in approval.

"Alright, Cheren. It's on. Three-on-three single battle?" I pick up my bag and get up from the table, picking up the plates my Pokémon had and throwing them in the trash.

"That's the one. Come on! I know where the public battlefields are." My Pokémon and I follow him out of the Center and down the street towards a well-kept park towards the edge of town. It's pretty active, with people playing Frisbee with each other and/or Lillipup and Herdier. Bird Pokémon help guide kites flown by four-year-olds, and a fisherman is sitting by a small pond in the distance. It doesn't have very many trees, but rather hedges trimmed to look like Pokémon, like Pidove, Pikachu, Minccino, and even Reshiram and Zekrom. Towards the northwestern edge of town are the battlefields – six of 'em, three of which are currently in use by trainers that are all my age and that use Pokémon I've seen before.

"Wouldn't it be easier to put these things near the Pokémon Center? I mean, one of us is going to have a fully exhausted team at the end of the battle." I mutter as I put my bag down at one side of an open field. Yeah, it wasn't really that long of a walk, but why put the fields all the way over here?

"Pokémon battles can get a lot more intense than a few Vine Whips and Water Guns, Black. Ever seen what a Hyper Beam can do to a wall? Besides, the Center doesn't have enough battlefields behind it to accommodate all of those people." True.

"That's enough talk, Cheren. Are you ready for this?" I expand Pansage's Poké Ball. Cheren pushes his glasses up on his nose and then points at me dramatically.

"Absolutely! Patrat, go!"

"Pansage, let's do this!" The Patrat looks at Pansage with a calm expression. It looks like it's carefully studying him, to try and see how he fights.

"Pansage, Vine Whip!" Pansage jumps forward and releases his vines at the Patrat. Without Cheren even commanding it to, it dodges them, its eyes never leaving Pansage.

"Okay. Pansage, use Lick!" He runs towards the Patrat, which stands there as if it _isn't_ about to get hit by a potentially paralyzing attack. Pansage sticks out his tongue, ready to smack it, when Cheren calls out,

"Detect!" Patrat's eyes glow white and it jumps sideways in a blur, much faster than its previous dodge.

"Now use Crunch!" The Patrat growls and then leaps on Pansage, biting the right side of his face. The two start rolling on the ground, with Pansage trying to pry the annoying thing off and the annoying thing insisting on keeping its teeth sunk into him.

"Don't let it faze you! Lick it, Pansage!" Pansage's tongue slaps Patrat in the face, which gets it to finally let go. It only looks disgusted rather than damaged by the attack, wiping saliva off of it. Its movement looks fine, too.

"You should know better than to use a Ghost-type move on a Normal-type, Black! Sand-Attack!"

"Dodge to the left and use Vine Whip to trip it up!" The Patrat starts kicking up dust with its paws, but Pansage is able to get away from the cloud and grabs Patrat's legs, pulling upwards to send it falling onto the ground.

"Now let's go for some Fury Swipes!" Pansage leaps in the air, ready to scratch up Patrat's face.

"Detect!" Patrat's eyes glow and it rolls forward before Pansage can hit it, standing up facing him by the time Pansage lands on the ground.

"Leer! Then Crunch!" Now Patrat's eyes glow red, which honestly creeps me out, seeing as their eyes are already weird enough as it is. Unfortunately, Pansage is caught in the Patrat's gaze, which freezes him to the spot he's standing. The Patrat takes advantage of this and leaps forward, chomping on Pansage's face again and sending them both hurtling into the ground from the Patrat's momentum. Last time this happened, Lick only served to gross out the Patrat without actually damaging it. Isn't there a better way to get it to let go?

"Pansage, use Vine Whip to slap Patrat!" Even while writhing in pain from Crunch, Pansage manages to release its vines and smack Patrat repeatedly, which results in a game of who-will-stop-their-attack-first. Cheren narrows his eyes and merely says,

"Don't let up! Keep on biting it in different places until it faints!" Patrat lets go of Pansage's face and clamps its mouth on his leg. The grass monkey looks back to me with a pained expression, even as it continues to hit Patrat with increasingly weak slaps. That annoying thing hasn't even looked like it's taken any real damage! What gives? I guess Cheren earned that badge as much as I did if I can't even make a mark on his first Pokémon.

"Forget Vine Whip! Use Lick!" Pansage retracts his vines and attempts to graze the Patrat with his tongue, but the thing recognizes the tactic from earlier and lets go, stepping back a couple of paces. If anything, Lick only keeps the Patrat from chomping on Pansage. Wait. That's it.

"Pansage, chase after Patrat with your tongue!" Even though he's tired, Pansage lets his tongue hang loose, and starts swinging it about as he runs for Patrat. Cheren's Pokémon squeaks and dodges Pansage's repeated attempts to hit it, even if everyone knows the blow wouldn't do any real damage. What a quirk! It's a trait Cheren himself has – he's a germophobe just like this Patrat. What am I supposed to do with that, though, if I can't call in any of my other Pokémon without switching out Pansage? Unless…

"Now use Vine Whip at the same time! Stay close to Patrat!" Pansage grins and releases his vines while coming at the Patrat with his tongue.

"Detect! Then Crunch! Let's finish it!" Patrat's eyes glow and it does the blurry jump away from Pansage, but it hesitates after it dodges, its large red eyes glued to Pansage's tongue. That hesitation allows Pansage to whip it across the face with both of his vines, which sends it whirling into the ground face-down.

"Now we've got them! Fury Swipes and Lick at the same time! Quick!" Once again, Pansage jumps into the air, ready to slash Patrat in the back. Cheren bites his lip and hastily shouts,

"No! Patrat, turn around and use Crunch! Come on!" The Patrat rolls over as Pansage lands on top of it, repeatedly slashing at its face while licking its belly. Patrat shudders and cringes for two seconds before screaming and biting one of Pansage's hands, which makes him slash even harder with the other hand. The noise continues like that for a few seconds until Pansage falls over beside Patrat, whose screaming sounds worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. Thankfully, it stops when it runs out of energy. Both Pokémon are out of commission.

"I see. Patrat, return!" Cheren recalls it. I really hope his next Pokémon isn't as clever as that one, but knowing Cheren, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I recall Pansage. He's either going to send out Oshawott or something else, so Tepig's probably not the best choice.

"Out you go, Farfetch'd! Time to battle!" The bird comes out and salutes me before turning to face Cheren, who smiles as he returns Patrat's Poké Ball to his belt. He retrieves the next one and sends out a Purrloin. The cat Pokémon licks itself and then gives a nasty stare to Farfetch'd, who caws angrily and points its stalk at it.

"Now we'll see how strong your rare Pokémon really is." Cheren says with a devious tone. I narrow my eyes at the Purrloin. Those Pokémon have been nothing but trouble for me, and if it's anything like Patrat, it'll be even worse. If Farfetch'd falls too early, Tepig will be stuck facing Oshawott, and that won't turn out well.

"Farfetch'd, Cut!" Farfetch'd grabs his stalk in his mouth and takes to the air, rushing at the Purrloin. The Purrloin nimbly leaps away from the swinging stalk, and then starts licking itself again, like it doesn't even consider Farfetch'd a threat.

"Use Torment!" The Purrloin turns to face Farfetch'd as he flies around, and its eyes glow purple. Farfetch'd makes eye contact with it and gets angry, shouting and diving at it.

"Go with it! Fury Attack, Farfetch'd!"

"Sand-Attack!" The Purrloin jumps as it sends a cloud of dust into Farfetch'd's eyes, which forces him to land a few feet away to shake it off.

"Fury Swipes!"

"Get in the air and use Air Cutter!" Cheren's Pokémon is fast, but it's noticeably slower than the one Team Plasma used. Its attack misses and Farfetch'd haphazardly flies around for few seconds before releasing air blades from his wings, which the Purrloin is surprisingly unable to anticipate. Air Cutter's a direct hit, and Purrloin's lying on the ground while Farfetch'd is still in the air, raring to go.

"Again!" I command, but Farfetch'd just glares at his opponent as it gets up, cool as a cucumber.

"Farfetch'd? Come on, use Air Cutter!" It's like he can't hear me or something. What's going on?

"Torment prevents a Pokémon from using the same move over and over again." Cheren calmly states. I flinch. Not quite as annoying as Patrat's dodge-and-bite strategy or its screaming, but still annoying.

"Okay… Cut!" Farfetch'd hears me this time and flies at the Purrloin, its stalk ready to deal some damage. The cat Pokémon just dodges it again, however, and watches Farfetch'd as he flies around again, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"Assist! Focus on Farfetch'd!" Purrloin's mouth generates a ball of white light, and then a torrent of water comes rushing from it at Farfetch'd. A torrent of _water?_ How in the world?

"Get out of its way! Use Air Cutter!" Purrloin is _not_ a Water-type, according to the Pokédex. How did it suddenly use Water Gun, then? That's a move I'd expect Oshawott to use, not Purrloin. Farfetch'd manages to get out of the way of the attack, but looks about as shocked as I do from seeing a purple cat Pokémon he recognizes use Water Gun.

"Assist calls upon a random move from the Pokémon in my party." Cheren explains with a prideful smile. So this cat can use any of the other moves Cheren' s team has, in addition to forcing Farfetch'd to have to go in for close-range attacks since Air Cutter is the only long-range move he knows? Leave it to the smartest member of the Nuvema Town crew to use tactics like that. But smarts aren't the only thing that determines the outcome of a battle. I'll show him that what we've got can beat him and his team. If he wants to be the best, he'll have to go through me multiple times to do it!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: For your reference, here's the current team of each of the four main characters, if you're wondering about levels/movesets:**

**Black**

**Tepig [M] **** – Lv. 15 – Flame Charge, Ember, Defense Curl, Tail Whip – Ability: Blaze – Nature: Bashful  
>Farfetch'd [M] <strong>** – Lv. 14 – Air Cutter, Fury Attack, Peck, Cut – Ability: Inner Focus – Nature: Brave  
>Pansage [M] <strong>** – Lv. 13 – Vine Whip, Lick, Fury Swipes, Leer – Ability: Gluttony – Nature: Rash**

**Cheren**

**Oshawott [M] **** – Lv. 17 – Water Gun, Razor Shell, Tackle, Focus Energy – Ability: Torrent – Nature: Mild  
>Patrat [M] <strong>** – Lv. 16 – Detect, Crunch, Leer, Sand-Attack – Ability: Run Away – Nature: Careful  
>Purrloin [F] <strong>** – Lv. 16 – Torment, Sand-Attack, Fury Swipes, Assist – Ability: Limber – Nature: Sassy**

**Bianca**

**Snivy [M] – Lv. 14 – Vine Whip, Leer, Tackle, Wrap – Ability: Overgrow – Nature: Adamant  
>Lillipup (Angel) [F] <strong>** – Lv. 14 – Bite, Leer, Tackle, Odor Sleuth – Ability: Vital Spirit – Nature: Jolly  
>Munna [F] <strong>** – Lv. 14 – Psybeam, Lucky Chant, Yawn, Defense Curl – Ability: Forewarn – Nature: Timid  
>Panpour [M] <strong>** – Lv. 14 – Water Gun, Lick, Fury Swipes, Leer – Ability: Gluttony – Nature: Modest**

**White**

**Tepig (Burnetta) [F] **** – Lv. 14 – Ember, Tackle, Tail Whip, Defense Curl – Ability: Blaze – Nature: Naive  
>Pidove (Peace) [F] <strong>** – Lv. 14 – Gust, Growl, Leer, Quick Attack – Ability: Big Pecks – Nature: Hardy  
>Purrloin (Sly) [M] <strong>** – Lv. 13 – Fury Swipes, Growl, Assist, Sand-Attack – Ability: Unburden – Nature: Lonely  
>Audino (Rose) [F] <strong>** – Lv. 11 – DoubleSlap, Refresh, Growl, Helping Hand – Ability: Regenerator – Nature: Gentle**


	11. Chapter 10: Someone's Sure to Get Burned

**Chapter 10: Someone's Sure to Get Burned**

Farfetch'd flaps his wings, sending blades of air at Purrloin. The cat figures out what to do this time and jumps away, still as collected as ever. I get the feeling that this Pokémon would rather be lazing around than battling.

"Okay! Farfetch'd, fly at Purrloin! Let's use Peck!" I've got an idea. Purrloin looks right at Farfetch'd, ready to get out of the way. When my Pokémon gets within about five feet of Purrloin, I shout,

"Now swing your stalk outwards!" The Purrloin attempts to dodge, but the last-second change of attack catches it right where I want it, and it gets smacked across the face with Farfetch'd's stalk. He flies around and hangs in midair, waiting for the next command.

"Assist!" Purrloin generates the white ball in front of it, but this time, the ball merges with it and gives it a white aura, which makes it clench its teeth and shudder.

"Watch out!" I tell Farfetch'd, and he's ready to fly away from any attack that might get thrown at him, but nothing happens. The aura fades and the Purrloin goes back to being as calm as it's always been, carefully watching Farfetch'd. It looks like it used Work Up, but the aura was different. Whatever it did, it's probably stronger now. Out of the corner of my eye, some of the trainers on the other battlefields finished up and are now watching our battle.

"Fury Attack!"

"Dodge and use Fury Swipes!" Cheren shouts. Farfetch'd attempts to hit the Purrloin with his stalk, but has it recoiled back to him by Purrloin's paw, which makes him spiral into the ground. The Purrloin wastes no time executing its next move and leaps on top of Farfetch'd, repeatedly scratching him. His stalk is awkwardly positioned outwards, his right wing barely able to hold onto it. But if he can turn it, then maybe…

"Poke Purrloin in the eye with your stalk!" Farfetch'd struggles to move and uses the side-to-side momentum to help thrust his stalk into the cat Pokémon's eye, or at least pretty darn close to it. It has great results, as Purrloin screeches in pain and falls off of him.

"Now use Cut!" Farfetch'd squawks and swings his stalk like a baseball bat at Purrloin's head, sending it flying face-down into the dirt. It rolls over and mews dizzily, unable to get back up. Cheren sighs and returns it, before pointing at Farfetch'd and uttering,

"You won't get past this one! Go, Oshawott!" His starter Pokémon pops out posing with its scalchop as it did back at my house. Cracking a smile, Cheren pushes his glasses forward. More trainers surround us, but I quickly focus my attention on Oshawott.

"Focus Energy!" Oshawott pushes its scalchop together with both paws and makes a mad face, the same white aura that Purrloin had surrounding it. I bet it's going to hit harder than before, so we'd better attack from a distance.

"Let's give it an Air Cutter, Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd flies up and releases the attack, but Oshawott smiles and uses its scalchop to slice the air blades to bits. Sheesh! I guess he's been training against bird Pokémon.

"Water Gun!" Oshawott releases a burst of water at Farfetch'd, who attempts to dodge. However, the otter notices the direction he's about to move and quickly turns his head to match it, blasting Farfetch'd out of the air. But since he's a duck-based Pokémon, the water quickly slides off of him.

"Fury Attack! Don't follow a straight line!" Farfetch'd takes to the air and flies on a curved path towards Oshawott.

"Razor Shell." Cheren merely states. As Farfetch'd approaches, Oshawott crouches. At just the wrong (or right, in Cheren's perspective) moment, Oshawott swings its scalchop upwards, catching Farfetch'd in the chin and sending him spinning upwards. The first blow doesn't seem all that strong until I see what happens next; the first blow was weak so as to give Oshawott a chance to jump in the air and bring its scalchop crashing down on Farfetch'd's stomach, plowing him into the ground. A dust cloud blocks my vision for a few seconds, and I know the outlook isn't going to be good. When the dust clears, Farfetch'd is lying on the ground, barely managing to hold his stalk steady. He's done. The trainers surrounding us have varying looks on their faces, from shocked to impressed.

"Return!" I recall him and take a deep breath. He didn't even get one hit off on that Oshawott. Where did Cheren get that technique from, a martial arts movie? It wouldn't surprise me – we've seen like a thousand over the years. Now it's time to show Cheren how my team won that Trio Badge.

"Tepig, it's all up to you. Let's do this!" I send him out. Oshawott shouts something, which Tepig responds to. He narrows his eyes and snorts, a small puff of smoke coming out of his nostrils.

"Let's not mess around! Use Flame Charge!" That Oshawott seems to like waiting and countering, but can it stop a speeding, fiery bullet? Tepig exhales flame and begins sprinting at Oshawott.

"Water Gun! Douse it!" Oshawott spews water at Tepig, who leaps nimbly aside. The tactic that the Water-type used earlier to take down Farfetch'd can't keep up with Tepig's speed, and it ends up getting blasted by him. It flies six or seven feet backwards, landing face-up. The type disadvantage proves to work well for it, though, as it dusts itself off before standing up again, hardly damaged.

"Razor Shell! Run towards it!" Oshawott grabs its scalchop and starts running for Tepig. Even if he's my strongest and heaviest Pokémon, I don't know if I want to risk using Flame Charge again only to get smacked away by Razor Shell. In fact, even with another direct hit, that Water-type still wouldn't take a whole lot of damage.

"You too, Tepig! Flame Charge!" As they both approach each other, Tepig seems even faster than before. He's going to hit Oshawott much faster than I expected!

"Now use Tail Whip!" Which makes this change of pace even better than before. Tepig jumps and turns so that his tail lines up with Oshawott's face. Having a better sense of its opponent's speed, though, Oshawott swings its scalchop to defend itself, zeroing out both attacks and sending Tepig backwards. He lands a few feet away from Oshawott. This Pokémon's one tough cookie! What else can we do to damage it?

"Osha! Osha-wott!" Cheren's Pokémon says, placing its scalchop back on its stomach. Tepig lightens up a little and tilts his head, asking a question in response.

"Piiig?"

"Wott. Oshawott. Sha, Osha-osha-wott?"

"Tepig!" He says happily, which seems to upset Oshawott a little. The sea otter frowns and peers at its scalchop for a second before placing it back on its stomach. What are they talking about? Why did they stop battling all of a sudden?

"Come on, Oshawott! Enough idle chatter! Let's go! Use Water Gun!" He sounds very impatient, which is typical of him. He always hated pressing the Pause button while he was playing a video game – he'd give me or White a mean look, and if _Bianca _interrupted him, he'd practically use Scary Face on her, especially since she didn't really understand why it bothered him so much.

"Osha. Wott, wott." Oshawott releases another torrent of water, which Tepig is barely able to dodge. Ember won't cut it, and Defense Curl won't do much good. Tail Whip is only good if he can get close to Oshawott, and he only gets a good opening through Flame Charge. So why not stick to what we know?

"Don't let up! You can do this, Tepig! Don't let the type advantage scare you! Flame Charge!" Tepig cloaks himself in flame and charges forward once again. I didn't think he could _go_ any faster, but look at him! If he was a horse, I could practically ride him back to Nuvema Town in half an hour!

"Razor Shell!" Oshawott tries to defend itself by slashing at Tepig, but his speed is becoming far too much to anticipate as Tepig weaves a jagged path with his running. With more speed, Tepig gains more power – great for him, bad for Oshawott. Tepig takes his own initiative and runs over Oshawott before making a sharp curve back around, hitting it again before it realizes what's going on. He makes another sharp curve and rushes straight at the Water-type; it finally seems like we've got the upper hand here!

"Water Gun! Use all your might!" Oshawott glares at the speeding pig and releases a torrent of water at Tepig, which causes a cloud of steam to obscure the both of them. I hear a collision and Pokémon sliding across the ground; when the steam clears, Oshawott and Tepig are standing a few feet away from each other, panting heavily. Oh, no. I'm not going to let Cheren win this one. He's beaten me at just about every video game we've ever played, and routinely owns me in any intellectual pursuit. He's always thought very highly of himself, sometimes giving himself more credit than he deserves.

I'll show him – I'll win this. _We'll_ win this.

"Tepig! We've got Oshawott on the ropes! You can do this! We can _win this battle!_" I shout. Tepig looks back at me and winks, before glowing white and changing form. After a few seconds, a larger, bigger Fire-type Pokémon is standing in front of me with two legs instead of four, with a thicker tail, sturdier body, and muscular arms.

"Pigniiiiite!" My newly evolved Pokémon cries, flexing and punching his fists together. Cheren raises his eyebrows, and the surrounding trainers gasp in surprise.

"He evolved into Pignite… no matter. Oshawott, use Water Gun! Bring him down!" Pignite's too close to use Flame Charge, so… wait. I remember something, something about Pignite's new type. I remember reading that one of the Fighting-type moves Pignite naturally knows is Arm Thrust!

"Pignite, use Ember!" Pignite shoots a blast of flame from his mouth, which meets Oshawott's Water Gun and turns it into nothing but steam and spurted pieces of water, which harmlessly land on him.

"Let's finish this! Use Arm Thrust!" Pignite leaps forward with all the speed he gained using Flame Charge and hits Oshawott with a flurry of punches, the last one being an uppercut that sends the Water-type landing hard, right next to Cheren. Oshawott mumbles something in a daze, raising its scalchop weakly before dropping it on its face. Pignite smiles before turning back to me and flexing, admiring his new power. I trot over to him and scratch his head, which feels hot. The trainers that had surrounded us cheer for Pignite and I, which makes Cheren cringe in embarrassment.

"Unbelievable. You still managed to beat me, even though I obviously had the type advantage." He returns Oshawott and walks over to me, looking disappointed and frustrated. I grin, knowing that I had the victory this time – it was just me and my Pokémon, without the help of White and Burnetta.

"I guess my Pokémon and I have even more training to do if we want to beat you, Black." My grin fades to a smile and I stand up to look Cheren in the eye. Obviously, the guy doesn't know how to lose right. If this had happened when we were six, he'd probably be throwing a tantrum right about now. But since he's six_teen_, he just glares at me, keeping it all in.

"Man, stop looking at me like that. I beat you _once_, Cheren. Get over it." He huffs, and starts walking away from Pignite and me, the bystanders going back to their own business. I look to my Pokémon and quickly whisper to him,

"Are you tired? Do you want to go back into your Poké Ball?" He shakes his head, and then we both follow Cheren back across the park.

"Come on, Cheren. You did _fine!"_ He doesn't respond. We get back into the busy Pokémon Center and hand our Pokémon over to be healed. Cheren leans against the nearest wall and crosses his arms, sulking. I walk over to him and sigh.

"Don't act like such a baby, Cheren. Everyone's bound to lose a match every now and then. It's part of becoming a great Pokémon trainer. You just need to chill out and relax a little. Take your mind off of it and give you and your Pokémon some rest!" He looks at me and lets out a heavy breath.

"I just don't understand how I could've lost to you with a type advantage and a head-start in training. You got a stronger Pokémon in the middle of the battle. Would you have still won if Tepig hadn't become Pignite in that moment? Maybe if Patrat or Purrloin had done a little better, been a little stronger, maybe they could've lasted longer!" I grab his shoulder and shake him.

"Stop talking about it. Seriously. Your Pokémon tried their best. You can't blame them for that!" That gets him to be quiet for a little bit. We don't say anything more to each other until Nurse Joy puts our Pokémon back onto the counter with the exception of Pignite, who walks back next to me. Cheren appears to have cooled down a little, but not by much.

"You're right, Black. My Pokémon gave it their all, and I should be thankful for that. They do deserve a break. However, I know that there are many trainers out there who are stronger than us. I want to be able to best them, and the only way my Pokémon are going to be able to do that is by training more, learning new techniques, and getting stronger." Well, at least he doesn't look like a spoiled kid anymore.

"I'll see you around, okay? I'm going to head off for Nacrene City." He takes his Pokémon and leaves, stopping by the item counters to pick up a few things before exiting. I look at Pignite, who shrugs.

"He's taking the loss pretty hard. I think he'll get over it real soon, though. Hey. Now that you're feeling better, want to go check out that arcade he was talking about?" Pignite nods and flexes in affirmation. We walk out of the Center together, into the busy streets of Striaton once again. Cheren can do things however he wants to, but for the rest of today, I'm doing them my own way: the relaxed and peaceful way.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There won't be a battle with Cheren after nearly **_**every**_** Gym badge like in B/W; it seems kind of repetitive to write battles with the same guy so many times. Besides, rival battles will become less important as the story progresses and things get crazier… ;) It might take a while to get to the really good parts, but it'll be worth the wait. **


	12. Chapter 11: Time for a Night Chat

**Chapter 11: Time for a Night Chat**

(9:00 PM)

"I don't get it, guys. If those people at the arcade put that kind of time and effort into Pokémon training, they'd probably be good enough to take on the Unova League by now!" I'm lying on the bed in one of the rooms in the Pokémon Center, surrounded by my Pokémon and wearing an old gray t-shirt and shorts. The rooms are pretty small – definitely smaller than my bedroom, but still large enough to have three Pokémon out without feeling cramped.

"I can't believe _humans_ are able to do that stuff." Other than the many typical games one finds at an arcade, there's also this dancing game called In the Groove: Rebirth. When I came across it earlier, there were four or five guys crowded around it, watching two more guys step on a metal pad like the darn thing was on fire. I asked one of the guys what was going on, and he told me that they were trying to quad Euphoria, which is to say, get the highest possible score on some impossible-looking song.

One of them had a camera pointing at the screen, where flurries of colored arrows rose to the top of the screen and were stepped on by the players. Now, I thought that first song they did was mind-boggling, until they did some song called Chromatic Blitz. That one… it just looked like the two guys just robotically stamped the heck out of the pads as fast as they could without stopping. None of it made any sense.

"Thirteen arrows per second? I _saw that, _and I still don't get it." My ITG guide explained to me that during the fastest part of Chromatic Blitz, the dancers were hitting about thirteen arrows every second. Before I could comprehend that, the song was over, and the guy on the left freaked out because he managed to get 100% on the song (a "quad"). Everyone around him seemed just as surprised, and I was beyond surprised, seeing as the performance itself was crazy enough. Then they left to go get some water, leaving the next two guys to do a round.

The arcade made me return Pignite before entering, so none of my Pokémon knew what I was talking about. After all that's happened today, I'm tired. Seriously, I'm tired. I need—

"Brrrrring!" goes the Xtransceiver, which I'd placed on the little table next to bed. I pick it up to see who's calling: Kiley, whose picture is still a blank. Oh, yeah. I told her to call around this time. I answer it and see an icon of a speaker, which means the video must not be working for some reason.

"Hello? Black?" Her voice is clear as day, though. I sigh, roll over on the bed, and look at Pansage.

"Yep, that's me. Is there something wrong with the camera on your Xtransceiver? It says that I'm only able to hear you, not see you." She laughs.

"Nothing's wrong with it, Black. You don't want to see what I look like in pajamas with my hair all messed up. After cosplaying all day as Kyurem, I like to let it all hang out at home." Bianca's like that. White not so much, but only because she wasn't bothered by looking super-casual around our friends or our mom. She still likes to look good, though.

"Okay then. Speaking of Kyurem, weren't you going to tell me the rest of that story?"

"Yeah! Where did we leave off? Do you remember?"

"Uh, something about what happened when it got beat in battle by Reshiram and Zekrom. Didn't you say it got frozen, or something?"

"Yep. Apparently, Kyurem didn't always look like the frozen dragon in the picture I showed you. No one knows what its original form was, but the legend states that some kind of freezing energy came out of its body and crystallized its body to try and repair the damage that Reshiram and Zekrom had done to it. Since it lost the battle, it supposedly tried to convince the residents of ancient Unova of the futility of the brothers' argument over truth and ideals. However, it scared everybody it tried to talk to, even the Pokémon. Kyurem got upset that nobody would listen to it, so it fled and made a home somewhere in the Giant Chasm outside of Lacunosa Town." Pansage scratches his head and hops on the bed, lying on his back and closing his eyes. Pignite sits down next to the bed and listens, while Farfetch'd is preening himself with his stalk.

"How do you know that that's what Kyurem was actually trying to do? Maybe it got mad from getting beat by Reshiram and Zekrom and went to terrorize people to make itself feel better before hiding out in a hole somewhere. I mean, you _did_ say nobody listened to it…" This is why myths are just tales people tell. How could anyone know about all of this?

"Well, it's not like you'll find it in a history book. It's just a legend. I mean, do you really think Articuno appears before doomed travelers in the mountains, or that one flap of Lugia's wings can get a storm going for forty days? No one really knows, but I doubt it's completely made up. A legend is often a kernel of truth embedded in a whole field of corny untruths. But just because the stories they tell aren't all true doesn't make them not worth listening to." Eh, she's right. Why do people watch movies or read books if most of the stories aren't true? Because they're cool.

"Yeah, I get it. So is there any more to the story?"

"Well, it's been said that Kyurem used to come out of the Giant Chasm to eat the residents of Lacunosa Town at night. Of course, that was a long, long time ago – nothing like that has ever happened in modern times. That's all I know regarding Kyurem that you'd probably be interested in. Are there any more legendary Pokémon you'd like to hear about?"

"Not right now. Hey, Kiley."

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any Pokémon? I didn't see any Poké Balls on you last time I saw you."

"Yeah, one. I got him from my dad before he moved away. He's a Castform. My dad knew people who worked at the Weather Institute in Hoenn, and was given Castform as a gift from them. Castform are artificial Pokémon that can change their appearance with the weather. The people of Accumula Town use him as a short-term forecaster to see what the weather will be like, plus he likes to play with everyone's Pokémon. It's… partially why I haven't left yet. It's kind of ironic, don't you think? Everyone likes my Pokémon more than me." Her voice turns bitter at the end, which makes me uncomfortable. I mean, as nice as she is, I don't really feel like dealing with anyone else's problems at the moment. Especially after dealing with Cheren and having like ten battles today.

"Well, why don't you just leave? The people in Accumula Town can watch the news like the rest of us if they want a weather forecast. I mean, you're old enough to be a trainer yourself… and you already have a Pokémon, so all you would need is to apply for a license and then you could get out of that place!" She sighs.

"I don't know…"

"What's keeping you there, anyways? Why didn't you become a trainer before and leave on a journey like everyone else? You _are_ nineteen, right?" She doesn't say anything for a few seconds. In the background, my Pokémon are still minding their own business.

"Listen, Black." She speaks slowly and firmly.

"Not everyone is destined to become a Pokémon trainer. Not every Pokémon is the battling type. I've _tried_ to get Castform to battle. He doesn't like it. He refuses to fight other Pokémon now. Not to mention I'm not exactly that good of a battler myself. The last Pokémon battle I've participated in was when I was sixteen. I was still trying to convince Castform that battling wasn't such a bad idea. Our opponent was a Pidove owned by a guy named Richard, one of my neighbors. He refused to attack the Pidove – he wouldn't mind using Rain Dance or Sunny Day, but when I told him to use Weather Ball, he wouldn't do it. Eventually, the Pidove tired him out, and he went down." She goes silent again. Great, now she's upset. At least it isn't for a dumb reason, though. Kiley continues, her voice still bitter.

"After that battle, Castform practically ran away from me. He left my house and stayed with other people for a few weeks, playing with their Pokémon. I eventually convinced him to come back to me, and I promised him I would never make him battle again. We're on good terms now, but I don't think I'm cut out to be a Pokémon trainer after what I put Castform through. Heck, why am I even telling you this? I barely even know you." Her voice drops at the last two sentences, like she meant to say that only to herself. I mean, I knew people kept Pokémon as pets, but I've never heard of a Pokémon that absolutely refused to battle. What would I have done if Pignite hated battling like that? I still would've taken care of him, but… man, I don't know.

"Kiley, I'm sorry I brought this up. I didn't know about Castform. I just thought that you shouldn't have to stay around those people that don't like you." Having overheard the conversation, my Pokémon are now all focused on me, with Farfetch'd now roosting on the edge of the bed and Pansage chewing on a leaf he pulled out of his hair. Pignite is the only one not looking directly at me; he seems lost in thought.

"It's not your fault. You haven't done anything to me. But it's not like I can just _get_ another Pokémon! I registered Castform as my starter before I realized he wouldn't battle, so I can't get another one. I can't travel without at least one Pokémon to protect me, so what am I supposed to do?" An idea pops into my head, but it already sounds like too much: Professor Juniper's a pretty understanding person, and she said she caught a Patrat earlier today. Maybe…

"I think I might be able to help you. Let me add someone to the conversation, if that's okay with you."

"Alright." I poke the screen and type in Professor Juniper's number. After two rings, she picks up.

"Yes, Black? What is it?"

"I have a friend here who needs your help with something. Her only Pokémon doesn't like to battle and she wants to become a trainer, so she needs another Pokémon that doesn't mind battling. Do you think you could help her out?" The professor thinks for a few seconds.

"Professor Juniper? Black, I didn't know you knew her!" Kiley says.

"Yeah, I'm from Nuvema Town. She gave me my starter Pokémon." The professor notices Kiley's voice and acknowledges her.

"Hello. I don't believe we've spoken before, Kiley. Black tells me you have a Pokémon that refuses to battle?"

"Um, yes. It's not that he's disobedient or anything, but he just hates to battle. I can't really leave my hometown without a Pokémon that's willing to battle, so… well, this was _Black's_ idea, not mine. I understand if you can't help me, Professor." Professor Juniper smiles.

"Oh, it's no problem. If you're one of Black's friends, I have nothing to worry about. You can have this Patrat that I caught earlier today – she's quite a handful, but she's definitely got a good fighting spirit in her. Where do you live, Kiley?"

"Accumula Town."

"Okay. Do you think you can walk over to the Pokémon Center there tonight, or would tomorrow morning be a better time for you?"

"The sooner the better, Professor." Juniper chuckles.

"No problem. I'll contact the Nurse Joy in Accumula Town and tell her to expect you. She'll keep the Patrat on hold until you arrive. Feel free to nickname her if you want! And please, call me if you have any questions."

"Thanks, Professor! You don't know how much this means to me."

"Of course. You ought to thank Black, too! He's the one who came up with the idea, right?" Kiley chuckles nervously.

"Mmhm. Thanks, Black. Now I can do what I've always dreamt of doing." She really sounds thankful.

"Well, I hope you have a fruitful journey of your own, Kiley! I hope to talk to you again soon!" Professor Juniper hangs up.

"I can't believe you just did that for me, Black. I can finally _leave_ this town now! If it wasn't already dark outside, I'd start packing and leave as soon as possible. I mean, I don't know if I can do this. It's been nearly three years since I've battled, and I don't know if I can still do it. How do I know if—"

"Kiley, Kiley. Don't worry about it. I just started on my journey yesterday and I already have one Gym Badge. It wasn't easy. It is a lot of work. See, you've already had experience, and I didn't. Sure, it didn't work out before. But that was in the past. Trust me, Kiley, I've battled half the trainers around Accumula Town. They're not very good. If I can beat them, you'll have no trouble."

"Black, how are you so nice?" Didn't see that one coming.

"Uh… I get it from my mom." Heck if I know. My mom is very helpful to people, so maybe I _did_ get it from her.

"She must be a very wonderful woman, then. She raised a good son."

"Thanks." I hear knocking on the door, and then White's voice, as _refreshing_ as ever.

"Black, are you asleep already? It's me!" Since the Xtransceiver's good at filtering outside noise, Kiley doesn't hear it.

"Hold on a sec. My sister's at the door." I get up off of the bed, careful not to squish Farfetch'd or Pansage, and open the door.

"Your sister? The one you said goes by White? Really? Let me talk to her!" White gives me an amused look and then points to my Xtransceiver.

"Who's that?" She asks, pulling her cap out of her hair.

"A girl I met in Accumula Town who likes legendary Pokémon. Her name's Kiley – she's a beginner trainer like us. She likes the fact that we go by Black and White. Here." I give White my Xtransceiver and she sits down on the other bed, putting her bag down and placing her Poké Balls on the little table in the middle of the room. Oh, heck. She's gonna stay _here_ for the night.

"Hello, Kiley! Yes, I'm Black's sister, and yes, I really do go by White!" They start talking about all sorts of things, from why we have our nicknames to Reshiram and Zekrom's influence in fancy dresses. I flop sideways on the bed and practice making funny faces with my Pokémon until it gets old; Pansage is currently the master among us in making weird and unusual faces. Farfetch'd thinks it's some kind of training exercise, while Pignite has an awkward time getting it down and often just scrunches his face together like he's concentrating too hard. After what seems like an hour, White tugs at my pant leg sticking out from the side of the bed.

"Here. Kiley just got back to her house with her new Patrat, and wants to introduce herself to her. She wants to say goodbye." She hands me my Xtransceiver. It's a good thing I left it charging earlier, or else it definitely would've died by now.

"Hey. Sounds like you two had a pretty good conversation!"

"You heard it?"

"Well, yeah. White was sitting like five feet away from me the whole time. We're at the Pokémon Center in Striaton City. It uh, seems that we're sharing a room tonight."

"Oh. Well, I just wanted to tell you… thank you. Again. Thank you for helping me get out of Accumula Town. Maybe I'll see you somewhere in the future!"

"Are you still going to be dressed up like Kyurem?" She laughs.

"Maybe. I could just as easily cosplay as any other legendary Pokémon. Now that I can travel, maybe I'll head to Nimbasa City for PokéCon. You two should come! It doesn't happen for at least another month, but it's guaranteed to be a good time. It'll be your best chance to see Pokémon from other regions! Not to mention there'll be _busloads_ of cute girls there…" White snickers at me.

"Uh, we'll keep it in mind. It's been good talking to you. See you later, then!"

"Later, Black and White! Ha, I love that…" She hangs up. I turn to White and see her pulling some pajamas and shower stuff out of her bag.

"So you're actually staying in _this room?_"

"Yeah. Why, did you want to sleep alone tonight?"

"It doesn't matter… I'm just surprised the Center let you. They don't usually let people with opposite genders stay in the same room together." White gathers all her stuff and heads for the door.

"I know. The only time they make an exception is if the people are brother and sister by blood. Nurse Joy verified it through our trainer licenses." I nod and watch Pansage pull another leaf out of his hair and put it in his mouth, the leaf crunching as he chews it.

"Whatever, then. You go do the shower and change thing. I'll still be here with my Pokémon." She leaves. I gotta admit, this has been one heck of a day. I meet a girl who loves legendaries and help her become a trainer, kick a couple of Team Plasma grunts out of the Dreamyard with Bianca's help, win the Trio Badge, and battle Cheren for the first time on my own. It doesn't seem like all of this stuff happens every day to ordinary Pokémon trainers. Maybe this is just an extraordinary day. But maybe it isn't. I sure hope it isn't. I'm starting to get used to this whole "adventure" thing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: In my world, ITG is still popular and actually _made it_ to Rebirth as an official release. Go search the songs I named and see why they're such a big deal! Anyways. It's been mostly talk right now, but the action will return in the next chapter. Yeah, it's actually only been two days in the world of the story so far. Lol. But hey, it probably took some of you the equivalent of only two days to finish the entire main story in the games! **

**There's still quite a lot of story to go. If you have any suggestions as to what I should put in, let me know! I can't guarantee I'll use them, but they'll definitely help me keep things fresh. **


	13. Chapter 12: Goons for Breakfast

**Chapter 12: Goons for Breakfast**

(9:45 AM on April 2)

"So you're _sure_ you don't have a thing for Cilan?" I ask White as we both walk onto Route 3 together. We spent all of yesterday together hanging out in Striaton City, and we ate lunch at the Gym. I introduced her to Cilan, who seemed delighted to meet my sister. She wasn't interested in a Gym battle, so we left after we finished eating.

"Yes, Black, I'm sure. He's a nice guy, but I am _not_ fawning over him like the 'cheerleaders' are." She rolls her eyes while Peace perches on her head, quietly cooing. Unlike the rest of us, White likes to have _all _of her Pokémon out at once whenever she can. It took some getting used to, since Rose is _way_ too curious and loves to explore _everything,_ including my bag and my clothes. Sly just slinks around and occasionally mutters something, while Burnetta (who is now a Pignite) never leaves White's side.

"Okay. Whatever. Hey, what's that up ahead?" I point in the direction of a couple of houses with little kids running around and an old man sweeping in front of a door. We approach the houses and the old man notices us.

"Hello. I'm the Day-Care Man. This is Unova's southernmost Pokémon Day Care. We can help raise your Pokémon for you if you'd like."

"Hey." I look over beyond a short fence and see Pokémon running around and playing with each other, while people of various ages watch them.

"Cool." White and I turn our attention to the little kids running in a playground, all dressed in the same little uniform. We were homeschooled along with Cheren and Bianca, so we never had to deal with wearing the same thing every day.

"Aw, they're so cute! I wonder what I would've looked like in one of these little uniforms." White says as their teacher notices us. Even though it's not even noon yet, she looks tired.

"Trust me, they look cute, but they're much harder to take care of than Pokémon. At least the Day Care lets us borrow some of their Pokémon for the kids to play with. The Pokémon have far more stamina than I do, that's for sure." She looks towards the middle of the playground, where the little kids are chasing around a Minccino that's enjoying the game as much as the kids are. In a corner, a bunch of little girls are apparently giving a small, black-and-purple Pokémon with big, blue eyes a makeover. A Pidove sings to another small group of kids near the school building, with its heart-shaped cluster of feathers scribbled on with a bunch of different markers.

"I would've had a lot of fun if I went to this preschool. What do you think, Black?" White asks me, as the Minccino leaps onto the slide and off the other side, renewing the chase once more. Playing tag with a Minccino? That actually sounds pretty fun. Rose and Burnetta start talking to each other, while Sly curls up into a ball next to the building.

"Yeah. I mean, I could've totally caught that Minccino at five years old in a playground this small." I smile. White bumps me with her elbow and laughs.

"Uh huh. I bet you couldn't even catch it _now,_ much less back then. You were a chubby little five-year-old, Black."

"So were you." White elbows me harder, making me wince and laugh at the same time. The teacher gives us a tired smile and then notices the group of little girls from the corner walking over to her, huddled around the black-and-purple Pokémon. When they get close enough, they break the huddle and reveal the fruits of their makeover: the Pokémon has pink blush marks scribbled on its cheeks, blue and yellow stars on its bowtie-looking… thing, and all sorts of other girly preschooler doodles on its hair bows and on the white stripe across its midsection.

"Gothiii!" It chirps happily, making a smooching gesture at us. One of the girls tugs at the teacher's apron, saying,

"Look, Ms. Autumn! We gave Gothi a makeover!" I pull out the Pokédex from my bag and scan the little Pokémon. The computerized voice reads this out loud:

"Gothita, the Fixation Pokémon. Their psychic powers allow them to see things that humans cannot. Since they are very keen observers, they always stare at both people and Pokémon. What they are looking at is a mystery." Just like the entry says, the Gothita is staring up at us, not blinking at all. I wonder what hidden secrets rest around my head that it could possibly be staring at…

"I see! She looks very pretty!" Ms. Autumn says with forced enthusiasm. Another one of the girls holds up a broken crayon and says,

"We ran out of places to decorate Gothi! What do we do now, Ms. Autumn?"

"Well, we need to wash all of those drawings off of her. Come on, let's go clean her up." She quickly turns to us as she escorts the girls and the Gothita inside. With the same forced cheerfulness she gave the kids, she tells us,

"It was nice to meet you both! Have a nice day!" I put the Pokédex back in my bag and start walking back onto the path. White takes a few more seconds to watch the kids, and then joins me along with her Pokémon. Peace, having been quiet the past few minutes on White's head, notices the other Pidove with the colored heart and whistles in its direction. Since the other Pidove is preoccupied with entertaining the kids, it doesn't notice Peace's call.

"What is it? You like that Pidove's colored heart?" White asks. Peace coos in agreement, flapping her wings. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Peace has a thing for that (apparently male) Pidove playing with the kids. Funny.

We all press forward for a while until we reach an intersection; according to the signpost, if we keep going straight, we'll hit Wellspring Cave, and if we go left, we'll be heading for Nacrene City. Caves are usually home to Ground and Rock-type Pokémon, as well as Woobat. I don't think there'll be a whole lot of something I don't already have if I continue down Route 3, and I need to round out my team with various types of Pokémon so we can take on anything that comes our way.

"You'll thank us later, kid!" A man's voice shouts from the left, and then three Plasma goons run by and dash for Wellspring Cave. Behind them is a thin, nerdy guy wearing a Sharpedo Week t-shirt and panting heavily. He stops in front of us and then shouts in their direction,

"How could I possibly… thank you for… _stealing_ my Pokémon!" Oh, you've got to be kidding me. These goons _steal_ people's Pokémon now? Who do they think they are, Team Rocket?

"Hey! What's your name?" I call out to him. The nerd turns to us and adjusts his glasses, wiping sweat off of his forehead from the failed attempt at chasing the Plasma goons.

"Al. I was just minding my own business, training my Blitzle down the road here, when suddenly these three weirdoes in knight costumes jump out from behind the trees and challenge me to a Pokémon battle. When I lost, they ambushed me and stole Blitzle right when I returned him to his Poké Ball!" I glare in the direction of Wellspring Cave and look at White.

"Return your Pokémon, White. We've got to get this guy's Pokémon back from those Team Plasma cronies." White nods and returns all four of her Pokémon. She puts a hand on Al's shoulder and looks him in the eyes.

"Don't worry. My brother's dealt with these guys before. They won't stand a chance against the both of us. Now stay here. We'll be back with your Blitzle real soon." He was already surprised before, but having White get so close to him frazzles him even more. I'd comment on that, but there's no time!

"Come on, Black! Let's go!" She takes off running toward the cave. It doesn't take us very long to get to its entrance, and we both dart inside. The holes in the ceiling provide openings for sunlight to illuminate the place, and it's plain to see that the Plasma goons are trapped at a dead end near a big lake.

"Hey, idiots! What, have you gotten too lazy to beat up Pokémon yourselves? Now you've gotta go stealing them from people? How is _that_ 'liberation'?" I shout at the goons as White and I corner them. The two on the sides give us mean looks, but the one in the middle looks calm, like we're _not_ threatening to take them on. He steps forward and says in a deep, patient voice,

"He was torturing his Pokémon by having it continuously battle other wild Pokémon. We were doing him a great service by taking it from him, you see. Now we can release it, so that—"

"Oh, shut up! We don't have time to hear your stupid reasoning! Give us back that guy's Blitzle!" White interrupts, her hand on Burnetta's Poké Ball. The goon on the left steps forward and releases an orange bug Pokémon wrapped in huge leaves – a Sewaddle.

"How about we just liberate _your_ Pokémon from _you,_ little girl?" The goon on the right jumps forward and releases an odd, circular Pokémon with a tadpole's tail, no arms or legs, and a cream-colored face. Now _that one_ I've never seen before.

"We'd be more than happy to take them away from you selfish trainers!" He shouts. White throws Burnetta's Poké Ball and sends her out. That strange tadpole thing is obviously a Water-type, so out goes…

"Pansage! Let's show these Plasma idiots how wrong they are!" Pansage clenches his fists and gets his game face on.

"Burnetta, use Ember on Sewaddle!"

"Pansage, use Vine Whip on… the tadpole Pokémon!" Burnetta exhales a blast of flame that the Sewaddle is barely able to dodge by using String Shot to pull itself closer to the ceiling.

"Tympole, use BubbleBeam on that Pignite!" The goon on the right commands. The bouncing tadpole evades Pansage's attack and spews bubbles at Burnetta, who uses another Ember to pop all of the bubbles.

"Sewaddle, swing towards Pansage and use Bug Bite!" The Sewaddle detaches itself from the ceiling and falls towards Pansage, its small jaws opening. That would've been a lot cooler if that Sewaddle wasn't being commanded by Team Plasma.

"Pansage, get out of its way and use Fury Swipes when it hits the ground!"

"Burnetta, hit Tympole with your Arm Thrust!" Pansage deftly jumps out of the bug's way, and easily rakes it across the back when it lands. Burnetta, on the other hand, is having a hard time catching the bouncy Tympole, which literally bounces off the walls dodging Burnetta's repeated Arm Thrusts.

"Come on, Sewaddle! Bug Bite!"

"Good, Tympole! Use BubbleBeam again!" Pansage's repeated slashing ends up proving to be a bad idea, as the Sewaddle catches his hand with its jaws and bites down hard on it, making Pansage screech and jump off. The Tympole's constant movement allows it to score a hit on Burnetta, pushing her into the cave wall. Well, that's just lovely. Two super-effective hits at the same time. It's a good thing these Pokémon Team Plasma captured aren't very strong.

"White! Pansage is quicker than Burnetta! Let him take care of Tympole! You go for Sewaddle!" White nods and then shouts,

"Burnetta! Use Flame Charge on Sewaddle!"

"Pansage, Vine Whip on Tympole!" Burnetta stamps on the ground before charging at the tiny bug Pokémon, which can't get out of the way quick enough to avoid being smashed into the wall by Burnetta's flaming bulk. Pansage leaps and manages to catch the whining little tadpole, squeezing it hard and then throwing it against the wall, making it dizzy. The Sewaddle drops to the ground, out of commission from the doubly super-effective attack.

"Unbelievable!" The Plasma goon yells as he returns Sewaddle. Pansage is busy having a ball with Tympole, or rather, making a ball _out of it,_ as he bounces it against the wall repeatedly with Vine Whip until it's unable to battle. After he knows it's done, he tosses it at the Plasma goon on my left, who catches it and returns it to its Poké Ball. It doesn't seem like they have any more Pokémon, so I shout at them,

"Now give us Blitzle back! You don't have any other choice." The goon in the middle, the smug one with the black hair, steps forward and tosses a Poké Ball to me. It has a Blitzle sticker on it indicating what's inside. Even though his henchmen just got beat, he seems just as calm as when we entered. I put Blitzle's Poké Ball in my bag as he talks some more:

"Let's not have any more altercations. We of Team Plasma possess honor that you mere children do not. Come." He looks at the two cronies standing next to him, who both calm down and start to walk past White and I towards the entrance. That is, until I block their way and get Pansage to help me.

"No. You're not going anywhere. Not until all _three of you_ are in jail. White, call the police." She smiles and takes a few steps back to call them on her Xtransceiver. The lead Plasma goon tenses up, while the other two start getting antsy. Good. That's what I want.

"This will prove to be a fruitless endeavor. Stop this nonsense." The black-haired man says. I scoff at him, and Pansage blows a raspberry at him.

"I _am_ stopping this nonsense. Yours. Now stay put, or else Pansage will give you a nice set of cuts to accompany you to prison." Rather than be intimidated or bothered by my threat, the goon merely chuckles. He slides his hand behind his back and then suddenly pulls out a purple ball, launching it straight at me. I try to deflect it, but hitting it only makes it explode, spewing purple smoke all over the place.

"Pansage! Stop them!" I cough out, but the Plasma goons shove me over and bolt past Pansage before he can do anything to them. White and Burnetta react too late, and the white-armored knights sprint out of the cave before either of them can do anything to stop them. I stumble out of the smoke cloud and lean on the cave wall, coughing. Pansage shouts something and then punches the wall, muttering angrily.

"Black! Are you okay?" White asks, getting close to me. I stand up straight and look to the entrance of the cave.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Come on. Let's go give Al his Blitzle back. Did you manage to finish the call?" I walk past her towards the cave's entrance.

"Yeah, I did, but I wasn't expecting those guys to pull a ninja trick on us! I guess we'll just have to wait with Al for the police to come and tell them what happened." I recall Pansage and return to the spot where we met Al, where he's leaning against the fence blocking off the road from the wilderness.

"Looks like you took care of those guys pretty well. I saw them bolt out of here towards Nacrene City just a minute ago. Where's Blitzle?" I pull the Poké Ball out of my bag and toss it to him.

"Thanks! I don't know what I would've done if those lunatics had succeeded. Here, take these, both of you." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out four white Poké Balls with a thin, red bulge on top of each one. He gives us each a pair.

"These are Timer Balls. See the red hinge on top of them? When you pull it out and twist it, the ball's capture mechanisms gradually tighten, making it harder for Pokémon to escape from it. After exactly 11 minutes, however, it resets to avoid breaking. You two should use these on wild Pokémon that take a long time for you to catch!" I put the balls away.

"Thanks. White called the police. We tried to trap them inside the cave, but they threw a smoke ball at us and managed to get away. Let's wait here for the police to come and we can tell them what happened." Burnetta says something in approval.

After a few minutes, Officer Jenny shows up and asks us what's going on. We tell her the whole story, giving her the descriptions of the three Plasma goons. Although they got away, she thanks us for fending them off and giving her such detailed descriptions. Since Al needs to heal Blitzle, he catches a ride with her back to Nacrene City, leaving White and I at the intersection. Team Plasma is starting to get on my nerves – first the demonstration in Accumula Town, then the fiasco with the Munna in the Dreamyard, and now this. Someone needs to squash these idiots before they really hurt somebody. I'd do it, but I have no clue where their hideout is or how strong they really are.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Why exactly preschoolers are able to participate in Pokémon battles in the games, I don't know. But you won't see anyone under the age of 16 actually battling in this story. By the way, if you like this story, try my newest Pokémon fic, Mark and Mint's Mega-Blazing Summer! It's about the unknown protagonists from the Pokémon TCG video games released on the Game Boy Color and their summer with Red, who's just become Champion of Kanto.**


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